Beavers Remain Undefeated with 3-0 Win over Denver
September 7, 1998
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Krista Kinsman had her first double-double of the season to help propel the Oregon State volleyball team (6-0) to a 3-0 win over Denver (0-5) Monday night at Gill Coliseum. Game scores were 15-12, 15-11, and 15-7.
Kinsman led the Beavers with 14 kills and 10 digs, and Eleftheria Koukou finished with 11 kills for OSU. Amanda Schulze had a match-high 15 kills and 11 digs for Denver.
OSU struggled early on, holding a 7-3 lead in game one before a Denver comback put the Pioneers ahead, 7-8. Koukou had a kill on the next play for a sideout, and two consecutive blocks, along with an ace from Sarah Bjeldanes and a kill by Kinsman put the Beavers back on top, 11-8, before Denver called a timeout. Denver would rally to tie the score, but the Beavers never trailed for the remainder of the game.
After jumping out to a 5-3 lead in game two, Oregon State found itself in a 5-9 deficit, much in part by three quick kills from Schulze. Once again, the Beavers managed a comeback to jump ahead, 12-10, and keep the lead for the rest of the game.
"They ran a very nice middle attack, and we finally adjusted to it in game three," said coach Jeff Mozzochi. "Once we did adjust, we came out and played much better."
Denver took an 0-2 lead in the third game, but OSU responded with a five straight points, including kills from Kinsman and Angie Shirley and two points from aces by Koukou. Gina Schmidt closed out the match with back-to-back kills.
"With this group, every night is going to be a learning experience, and tonight we learned we have to be better prepared," said coach Jeff Mozzochi. "We didn't know much about them, and we weren't mentally prepared."
"We did block a lot on their outside hitters and we served tough, but their middles ran a nice offense and hurt us," he said. "This was a team effort, and that's the way this team is going to be."
Oregon State will take its 6-0 record on the road to Columbus, Ohio, for the Buckeye Inviational, where the Beavers will face No. 5 Nebraska at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) Friday, September 11 at Ohio State.
