WITH SEVEN GAMES left in the season, the women’s volleyball team had lost six straight games and eight of the last 10 for a record of 2-15 overall. Progress remains slow, but the team’s most recent win demonstrated its improvement.

The team held Air Force to just 36 kills to put together a 3-0 (30-22, 30-24, 30-19) sweep at Hamilton Gymnasium last Tuesday. With the win, Denver improves to 3-15 overall. The sweep was Denver’s first of the season.

The Pioneers were led by sophomore Mary England, who finished second on the team with 12 kills, but had no attacking errors. Fellow junior Olympia Hughes tallied a match-high 14 kills and just one attacking error, her best output of the season. Hughes also had three of Denver’s season-high eight service aces.

The game started well for Denver, as the Pioneers jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the first match, and never looked back on route to a 30-22 win. The Pioneers recorded 13 kills to just six errors in the game, while the Falcons struggled offensively with 12 kills and nine errors.

The Pioneers seemed to get stronger as the game progressed. In the second match Denver had 18 kills and just four attacking errors in the 30-24 win.

The third match was perhaps Denver’s best of the season. The 30-19 victory, gave the team its largest margin of victory in a game this season. The Pioneer defense limited the Falcons to just nine kills in the deciding game.

“I think tonight was just a great team effort and easily our best offensive output of the year,” Head Coach Beth Kuwata said. “The team never really felt threatened the entire match and that has been something we’ve struggled with. But today we battled, and I am just extremely happy.”

The next team that the Pioneers face is Florida International, whom the Pioneers will be playing in Miami.