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DENVER, Colo. – Becca Latham snapped off 20 kills and hit .444 to lead top-seed and host Denver University to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-22) win over No. 4 seed North Dakota State in a Summit League Volleyball Tournament semifinal match played Saturday, Nov. 18, before 396 fans in Hamilton Gymnasium. The Pioneers play the winner of South Dakota and Oral Roberts.
 
North Dakota State finished the season with a 19-9 record under first-year head coach Jennifer Lopez.
 
Denver (22-5) hit .318 for the match with 49 kills and only 14 errors in 110 attacks. The Pioneers came out firing for a .412 hitting percentage in the first set. Ellie Anderson and Piyusha Boteju combined for 40 assists, while Cassidy Rooke led Denver with 17 digs.
 
Denver also held a 9-3 advantage in team blocks led by the match-high seven blocks from Emma Willis. The Bison didn't record their first block until midway through the third set.
 
NDSU made things interesting during that third set, taking leads of 19-17 and 22-21, both on McKenzie Burke kills. Burke led the Bison with nine kills and hit .292, while Jessica Jorgensen added seven kills.
 
Brianna Rasmusson finished with 26 assists and six digs. Mikaela Purnell came up with 11 digs, while Abbi Klos added 10. Bella Lien led NDSU with three blocks.
 
Purnell became only the second player to reach 600 digs in a single-season during the second set. She finished with 606, just behind Kari Fagnan, who had 619 in 2007.