NEW ORLEANS - The University of New Orleans rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Denver 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 27-29, 25-22, 15-7) on Thursday night at the Human Performance Center.
The win was the third straight victory for UNO (10-5, 3-0 Sun Belt) to open conference, setting the school-record for the Privateers' best start since joining the Sun Belt. It was also just the fourth time in 18 matches under head coach
Jozsef Forman that the team was able to rally from such a deficit.
Maria Szivos had a career-high 22 kills to lead the home team while
Lindsey Loyd and
Edina Dobi followed with 16 and 10, respectively.
Hajnalka Molnar distributed a career-high 45 assists with
Cassidy Asebroek adding 23 of her own.
On the defensive end,
Nicky Valenti put up 20 digs from the back row with Loyd rounding out a double-double performance with 11 digs. As a unit, the Privateers had 10 blocks paced by
Kaley Hubbard's five.
DU (6-10, 1-1 SBC) was led in defeat by Emmy Davidsmeyer's 20 kills. Jordan Raines totaled 16 kills with Claire Maxwell pacing the Pioneers in assists with 29.
Preseason SBC Defensive Player of the Year Kacie Wikierak had 17 digs for DU with Raines notching a double-double with 15 digs.
UNO took control of the opening set by winning three straight points and 6 of 7 from the onset of the match. The lead grew to nine at 15-6 before the Pioneers rallied within three at 17-14.
The Privateers went on a 5-1 run to grab a 22-15 edge before DU staged another rally, going on a 7-2 run to get within two at 24-22. A Loyd kill, her fifth of the set closed out the frame in favor of the home team, 25-22.
Ties were frequent in the second frame before the Pioneers emerged from a deadlock at 11 with three straight points. DU maintained their spot in the driver's seat en route to a 25-20 set victory, despite being outhit .139 to .133 by the Privateers.
A pair of UNO runs in the third frame dictated the early advantage in the stanza for the Privateers. The Privateers started on a 5-1 run and with DU within one at 5-4, picked up the scoring again with a 6-1 run.
The Pioneers gained their first lead of the set 20-18 with a pair of Szivos kills tying the score back up. A close match ensued with both teams having several set point opportunities before DU won the third set 29-27 on a Faimie Kingsley kill.
Another battle developed at the beginning of the fourth set with six ties and four lead changes before consecutive
Vesna Jelic kills gave the Privateers their first significant lead at 16-13.
A .429 hitting clip by UNO helped the edge remain in the Privateers favor with a Hubbard kill sealing the set 25-22, forcing the first five-set match at the HPC on the season.
DU opened the scoring in the fifth set with a 3-1 run. UNO rallied back with a 4-1 stretch to take the lead at 5-4.
A tie at six would be the final tie of the fifth frame as the Privateers scored seven straight points on Valenti's serve to take a commanding lead at 13-7. Another strong hitting performance, this time a .471 clip for UNO, helped close out the set and the win for the home squad.
The Privateers will round out their four-match homestand on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. against North Texas. A live web cast will be available on UNO Vision, the exclusive online home of UNO volleyball.
