A reeling 3-5 DU volleyball team returned to Colorado playing three matches in The Thin Air Challenge against teams with a combined 21-7 record. The team was missing head coach Tom Hogan, out with testicular cancer, and the Pioneers’ interim head coach Jim Stone was out with Covid-19. The Pioneers were down to one coach, assistant Andrea Beaty, when they headed to Colorado Springs to face Air Force (7-2). The Pioneers assigned spot coaching duties to their players and Beaty led the Pioneers to a 3-0 win. The Pioneers returned to Hamilton Gym to face a 7-2 San Francisco squad. After undergoing chemotherapy, Hogan was able to return to the bench as an advisor for the home series. Once again, Beaty guided the Pioneers to a 3-1 win over the Dons. Denver concluded the tournament at Hamilton Gym against UC San Diego (7-4). Denver swept the Tritons to go 3-0 on the weekend and move back above .500 at 6-5.
ππππβ¦πππβ¦πππππβΌοΈ@DU_Volleyball captures Thin Air Challenge with a sweep of UCSD π₯#ReachTheSummit
— The Summit League (@thesummitleague) September 17, 2022
Jordan Lockwood, a Pittsburgh grad transfer, led DU with 34 kills and 11 blocks in the three-game series. Hailey Green had 33 kills and 6 blocks. Gianna Bartalo had 39 digs for the Pioneers. Next up, Denver starts conference play with a road swing to South Dakota State Thursday (6 pm MT) in Brookings, S.D., and arch-rival South Dakota State in Vermillion, South Dakota on Saturday at noon MT.
After east and west coast road swings, #9/11 Denver men’s soccer (4-1-2) returned to Pioneer Field for a Top 20 showdown against the #15 Portland Pilots. Denver controlled the pace of play, outshooting the visitors 12-5 and possessing the ball for an astounding 62% of the game, but neither side could find a goal with the match ending in a draw for yet another result for the talented Pioneers side.
The Pios now face Oregon State Tuesday night at 7 pm MT at Pioneer Field before beginning Summit League play against Oral Roberts on Saturday night at 7:00 pm. Oral Roberts was selected to finish second, behind the Pioneers, in the preseason coaches poll so this should be an exciting start to conference play.
Denver women’s soccer (3-4-2) traveled to Boulder to play the Buffs. Denver controlled much of the game but CU played solid defense and held off Denver 2-0, despite trailing shots-on-goal 12-5. DU junior McKenna Dannenhauer bounced a shot off the right goal post in the Pioneers’ best opportunity to score.
Women’s soccer opens conference play this week at Pioneer Field against North Dakota State at 7:00 pm MT Friday night and Sunday at noon against North Dakota.
Elsewhere, in winter sports news, Denver Hockey announced that the banner-raising ceremony is planned for Homecoming weekend before the second game against Providence on Saturday, October 22nd. Hopefully, they will reconsider holding the ceremony before the game with a late arriving homecoming crowd. As some may recall, then-head coach Jim Montgomery was disappointed in 2018’s pregame championship banner-raising because many fans were still outside the building, either in line to get into Magness or still en route to the game, during the ceremony.
THE. WAIT. IS. OVER!
The 2022 Championship Banner will be raised on Oct. 22 before the game vs. Providence.https://t.co/0ViqHo6bWf
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) September 15, 2022