Granville, Ohio - The Denison women's volleyball team led late in the fourth set of Tuesday's season-opening match against Marietta, but the Big Red were unable to close the set while holding a 2-1 lead, ultimately falling at home in five sets against the Pioneers.
Denison began the 2026 season on a slow start, falling behind early in set one by an 11-7 count. The Big Red would chip back within three points behind
Claire Hamilton and
Carolina Parkhurst, but a late surge from the Pioneers that featured a 5-0 run did in the home team. Marietta would finish the first set on top 25-14, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
After hitting .067 in the first set, Denison responded with a convincing second set and grueling third set grind, taking the match lead 2-1. The home team roared in front on a 7-4 run to open the second set, as
Emily Monachino ran the offense as both an attacker and conductor. Three spikes from
Ayla Dunbar in the middle of a 6-0 run put Denison in the driver's seat in set two, as the senior eventually closed the game with a 25-17 win.
Denison would take the third set 26-24, battling a Pioneer squad that forced 17 total ties in the set. Dunbar and Sicklick were the catalysts in the set to keep the Big Red on the right side of the ledger, while a Parkhurst and Hamilton block gave Denison the edge late. Leading 22-21, Denison would score on four of the last seven rallies, getting spikes from Dunbar to take a 26-24 win.
Set four looked like it too would lean in favor of Denison, as the Big Red battled in a round that featured 15 ties and seven lead changes. A one-sided 6-0 run that featured kills from three different players gave Denison a 16-12 hold, later leading 17-14 in the fourth. After reaching 17, the offense hit a wall, while Marietta turned the tide with a 5-0 run of their own. The run gave Marietta the hold on the game, and despite a 2-0 run putting Denison back on top, the Pioneers would rally to level the match with a 25-23 win.
In the decisive fifth set, Marietta raced out to an early 6-1 lead, putting a firm command on the lead. Denison would claw back within two behind service aces from
Ryan Kotalik and
Sarah McShane, but the Big Red were unable to get over the hump, falling 15-9 in the final set to drop the opener 3-2.
Emily Monachino was a bright spot in the opening match of the year, recording a triple-double with 13 kills, 11 digs and 18 assists, hitting .361 on the night.
Ayla Dunbar finished with a match-high 16 kills.
Sarah McShane,
Ryan Kotalik,
Whitley Metz and Monachino each had double-figure blocks, and
Amelia Kurtz had a team-best 21 assists.
Carolina Parkhurst led the team with seven total blocks, recording two block solos and five assists.
UP NEXT: The Big Red stay at home in their opening week of the season, hosting both Franciscan and Washington and Lee on Friday afternoon. Denison plays Franciscan in the Livingston Gymnasium at 3:00 p.m. on September 4, and after Franciscan plays Washington and Lee, the Big Red end the day with a scheduled 7:00 p.m. match against the latter.
