'Dons Hit a Season-High to Sweep Denver

Friday, October 25

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

12-12, 4-4Summit

Denver

12-9, 6-2Summit

Denver

IPFW

Photo by: Lucas Carter

10/25/2013 9:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score (.pdf) | Box Score (.html) | Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - In a matchup of two of the top four teams in the Summit League, the IPFW women's volleyball team swept the visiting Denver Pioneers 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 26-24).

Emily Spencer led the 'Dons (12-12, 4-4) with a match-high 19 kills including the finally two of the game to lead IPFW to their first win ever against the Pioneers and avenging an earlier season loss. Sarah Heckman added 10 kills, Kendall Wienkes added nine and Hailie Ripley put down eight.

The opening set saw a back-and-forth battle as they exchanged lead changes and tie scores. The 'Dons would rally from down 10-8 to tie it at 12-12. IPFW would then score three straight to take a 15-12 lead that they would not relinquish. Kendall Wienkes would deliver back-to-back aces for the Mastodons as they took a 21-16 lead before closing things out on a 7-1 run to take the opening set.

IPFW opened the second set by using a 5-point run to jump out to an early 9-5 lead. The 'Dons would continue to slowly pull away from the Pioneers after extending their lead to 16-10. IPFW continued to roll in the set as they closed things out on a 4-0 run to head into the final set.

In the third, the 'Dons would take the first three points of the set to take the early lead. Denver would rally back using a 6-1 run to then take a 6-4 lead. IPFW would go on a rally of their own using a 6-2 run to take back the lead at 11-9. Coach Kelley Hartley Hutton used a timeout with the 'Dons trailing 15-13. Coming out of the timeout, IPFW would go on a 6-2 run to take a 19-17 lead and forcing the Pioneers to use a timeout of their own. The Pioneers weren't done yet as they scored three straight to tie it at 24-24 and force extra points. It wouldn't take long for the Mastodons to put things away as Spencer rattled off two straight kills to end the set and give the 'Dons the sweep.

The Mastodons were perfect in the opening set with zero attack errors while finishing at a .576 clip from the floor and closing out the night with a season-high .409 hitting percent. Spencer finished the night with her second best hitting performance of the season at .378 from the floor.

Madison Spence capped off the night with a game-high 41 assists while Jen Milligan also had a game-high with 15 digs. Wienkes finished just one kill shy of a double-double as she added 10 digs and Somer Johnson put down a season-high six blocks, two of which were solo.

The Mastodons will go right back at it as they play host to conference leading South Dakota Coyotes on Saturday, October 26 for their pink-out match beginning at 7 p.m.