DENVER, Colo. – The  Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team was swept by the University of Denver 3-0 at the opening match of the Pioneer Showdown. Denver topped the Knights in three sets by scores of 25-14, 25-18, and 25-16.

With the loss, the Knights drop to 0-7 overall, while the Pioneers improved to 6-1 on the year, and have now won four straight matches.
 
Sophomore Magdalena Maksimovic topped the Knights' box score with six kills, while second-year setter McKenna Setterlund dished out 11 assists. The team-leader in attacks, Erika Sullivan was held to five by the Pioneers in the loss.
 
Denver senior Becca Latham led the way for the Pioneers with 14 kills and a .579 hitting percentage, while Katarina Marinkovic added eight kills and two blocks and Ellie Anderson handed out 21 assists.
 
A 6-0 run early in the opening set allowed the home team to capture a 10-4 edge. Latham delivered a pair of kills to help stretch the lead to 16-8 and the Pioneers would eventually build a double-digit lead en route to the 1-0 match advantage.
 
In the second set, the Knights fell into an early 5-1 hole before kills by Maksimovic and Sullivan helped the team pull to within two, 8-6. Aided by the play of Marinkovic, the Pioneers would set out on a 10-5 spurt to increase their distance and pull away for the win.
 
With Latham leading the charge, the home team broke open a tightly-contested third set to eventually build a double-digit cushion and finalize the match sweep.
 
Defensively for the Knights, Lafayette, Colorado native Libby Bell paced the defense with four digs in two sets, while also adding an assist to her ledger.
 
The Knights return to action tomorrow with a pair of matches against Idaho State at 12:00 p.m. (EST) and Saint Peter's 6:00 p.m. (EST).