Jordan Raines posted a career-high 19 kills and added 11 digs for the University of Denver volleyball team, but the Pioneers are 0-2 after losing 25-21, 28-30, 25-22, 24-26, 15-10 to LSU (1-1) on Saturday at Notre Dame’s Shamrock Invitational in South Bend, Ind.
“We played a remarkably better game than we did (Friday),” DU coach Beth Kuwata said. “We were playing quality volleyball against a quality opponent.”
DU lost to the Irish on Friday and faces No. 5 Stanford today.
After getting off to a slightly sluggish start in set one and falling 25-21, the Pioneers rallied in set two, forcing the Tigers into extended time with a 30-28 effort.
DU was down 2-1 in games and trailing by 10 points in the fourth set when the Pioneers put together a 14-2 run, highlighted by five kills by Emmy Davidsmeyer and two each by Raines and Alexis Ninos, to win 26-24. But the Tigers, who went five sets with Stanford on Friday, had the final rally in the last set and won the match.
• No. 24 Colorado State (0-2) had trouble with Oregon State outside hitter Rachel Rourke, who had 16 kills, and the Beavers beat the Rams 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-19) in the final of the Asics/Coors Classic in Fort Collins. Danielle Minch and Jacque Davisson each had 11 kills for CSU.
• For the fourth time in five years, Colorado lost to No. 8 Florida, this time in straight sets (20-25, 22-25, 15-25) in Gainesville, Fla. Sophomore Becah Fogle led the Buffs for the second straight night with 10 kills.
• Metro State’s Gabe Curtis was named MVP of the St. Mary’s Invitational, and Bri Morley and Amy Watanabe were named to the all-tournament team as the Roadrunners finished off a 4-0 start with two wins Saturday to become the tournament champions.
The Roadrunners swept Millersville (Pa.) before winning in four sets against Central Oklahoma and No. 16 Florida Southern. They capped off the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon.
Curtis, a senior setter from Ralston Valley High School, averaged 10.46 assists per set in the four wins.
Rapids-Dynamo matinee today.
The Colorado Rapids host the Houston Dynamo at 1 p.m. today at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City in the team’s only afternoon game this season.
The Dynamo leads Major League Soccer’s Western Conference with 40 points, while the Rapids are sixth in the West with 30 points. Houston beat Colorado 1-0 in April. Omar Cummings has the hot foot for Colorado, getting either a goal or assist in the team’s last six games.
Metro State men win opener.
The Metro State men’s soccer team, ranked No. 21 in Division II, opened its season with a 2-0 win over the University of Mary (N.D.) (1-1) at Auraria Field.
Sophomore goalkeeper Dominique Griffith got the shutout with five saves in his first career game, becoming the first Roadrunner to do so since Zac Loescher in September 1996. Scott Grode and Ri Armstrong scored for Metro State.
Zirbel trails Zabriskie in time trial.
Tom Zirbel of Boulder won the silver medal in the USA Cycling Professional Time Trial in Greenville, S.C., finishing 44 seconds behind David Zabriskie of Salt Lake City, who won his fourth consecutive national title in the event.
Zabriskie finished the 20.7-mile course in 39 minutes, 37.14 seconds.
