DENVER, Colo.—Denver's Becca Latham recorded 14 kills on 22 attempts to give her a .636 hitting percentage with four assisted blocks as the Pioneers beat the South Dakota 3-0 with the scores of 25-14, 25-17, 25-21.
 
Who Stood Out
Once again, reigning Summit League Offensive Player of the Week Hayley Dotseth and senior Meagan Kerns led the offense for the Coyotes. Both Dotseth and Kerns tallied nine kills for South Dakota. Kerns ended the match with a .353 hitting percentage. Senior Brittany Jessen recorded 27 assists and nine digs.
 
Reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Week Anne Rasmussen led the defense with 17 digs with sophomore Mehana Fonseca adding nine more.
 
For Denver, alongside Latham, Cassie Baird and Emma Willis each had nine kills. Willis' nine kills on 14 attempts earned her a .500 hitting percentage. Three Pioneers lead the Denver defense. Cassidy Rooke ended the match with 18 digs with Baird adding 16 and Piyusha Boteju contributing 11 more.
 
Turning Point
After dropping the first two sets, the Coyotes found momentum in the third. A kill by Kerns would tie up set three right out of the gate, 3-3, and keep the Coyotes fighting at the net with the Pioneers. With Denver ahead 15-10, South Dakota would come out of a media timeout and go on a 6-1 run and tie the Pioneers 16-16 with Rasmussen serving three of the six points. The battle would continue between the Coyotes and the Pioneers but an assisted block by Denver's Willis and Latham would give Denver the match.
 
Notable

• After today's loss, South Dakota is now in a three-way tie with Denver and North Dakota State all sitting at 5-2 in the league. Oral Roberts currently leads the league with a 6-1 conference record.

Up Next
South Dakota continues its season on the road as the Coyotes travel to Macomb, Illinois to take on the Leathernecks 7 p.m. Friday.