Granville, Ohio - Playing to a fifth set for the third time in four matches, the Denison women's volleyball team won a thrilling home contest Tuesday night, downing Washington & Jefferson 3-2. Denison won sets one, four, and five in the win, coming from behind in the fourth to force the deciding set, ultimately winning the last game 15-12 to move to 2-2 on the young season.
Denison came out firing strong early, as multiple runs of three points pushed the home side in front against Washington & Jefferson. A run of three
Kate Sicklick kills spurred an 11-8 lead, with the margin continuing to swell as an
Emily Monachino ace extended the margin to five, with the Big Red on top 18-13. A pair of
Maeve Perry kills moved Denison closer to the set point, and at the winning point,
Carolina Parkhurst nailed one of her four kills on the night to take the opening set 25-21.
After a promising set one win, Denison fell behind in set two, dropping the first five rallies of the game to play in a deep hole. Washington & Jefferson won the push to 10 with an eight-point lead on their side, and later extended the lead to double digits by 15, leading 15-5. Denison would show late life in the set, trailing 18-7, as Monachino and the first two kills of
Zoe Johnson's collegiate career seemed to spark a new energy in the team, but the deficit was too large to overcome, as the team fell 25-16.
Denison would respond to the loss in the second set with an early 4-2 sprint in the third, but the home side would fail to keep the early momentum throughout the set. A 4-0 run pushed the Big Red to an 11-7 count with an
Amelia Kurtz service ace boosting morale, but the Presidents would later respond with a 7-1 run, taking a 15-14 lead at the technical timeout. Washington & Jefferson would continue a strong serving night after the timeout, scoring three service aces to extend its lead, helping drive a finishing 10-5 margin to win the third set 25-20.
Washington & Jefferson kept momentum from the third set win in the fourth, as the visitors pounced on top early in the game 7-3. Denison would quickly respond with a one-sided run of its own, as a
Maeve Perry kill ignited an 8-0 run, sending the Big Red in the lead.
Ayla Dunbar and
Emily Monachino thrived off the assists from
Katelyn Chiu in the run to give Denison an 11-7 lead, but the Presidents would surge back, using a 9-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead. Washington & Jefferson continued to play with a lead as they won the race to 20, but Denison quietly rallied back, scoring in spurts before a pair of Perry kills sparked a 6-0 run. The late run gave Denison the controlling lead in the set, as a pair of Presidential errors gave the home team a 25-21 win.
In the fifth and deciding set, it would be Washington & Jefferson who struck first, but Denison would not be quiet long, rallying back to take a 5-3 lead. The game of runs then turned to the Presidents, who scored six of the next eight points to take a 9-7 lead. Denison would tie the set twice, but could not stop the bleeding, as another two from Washington & Jefferson gave the road team an 11-9 edge.
Needing a side out to gain momentum, the team turned to
Emily Monachino, who started a commanding 5-0 run with a kill, then turning to her setter side with two assists to Johnson and Perry to take a 12-11 lead. The run was finished by a block from Perry and Parkhurst, and leading 14-12, Parkhurst scored the set-ending point for a second time, blocking Rian Benz to close the match with a 15-12 win in the fifth set, giving Denison the 3-2 win.
Denison showed poise in the win, battling through adversity on a night where they were out-hit by their opponent and committed more errors than Washington & Lee, finding a way to end the early season homestand 2-2.
Emily Monachino finished the night with her fourth-consecutive double-double to open the year, racking up a team-high 30 assists and 10 digs, while also finishing with nine kills in the win.
Ayla Dunbar was the leading attacker with 18 kills, while
Maeve Perry and
Kate Sicklick each finished in double figures with a respective 12 and 11.
Zoe Johnson made the most of her collegiate debut, recording 11 kills in four sets to record a .375 hitting percentage.
First-year
Sarah McShane logged a season-high 27 digs to record her fourth consecutive match with 10 or more, and
Whitley Metz and
Ryan Kotalik each had 12 digs in the win.
Katelyn Chiu and
Amelia Kurtz combined for 23 assists, and Parkhurst and Sicklick each recorded three total blocks in the win.
UP NEXT: The Big Red are on the road for the first time this season, traveling north to Holland, Michigan, to play in the Hope College Tournament. Denison plays Albion on Friday night, while turning around Saturday for a tall task against nationally ranked foes Hope College and Calvin College.
