DENVER – The North Dakota State volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision at Denver in a match that saw 23 tie scores and 11 lead changes on Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Gymnasium.

Ally Barth paced the Bison (9-4, 1-1 Summit) posting a match-high 12 kills to go along with a .750 hitting percentage. Ali Hinze also reached double digits in kills for the third straight match with 11 and added four digs. Kelley Johnson passed out a team-high 29 assists with five digs and four kills.

NDSU sprinted out to a 14-10 lead following a service ace from Ava Schmoll in the opening frame. Denver (3-7, 2-0 Summit) battled back with five straight points to steal the edge, 21-19, after a kill from Gianna Bartalo. After the Bison notched back-to-back kills from Hinze and Alexis Boling, the Pioneers closed the frame on a 4-2 run to grab the set, 25-23.

Both teams traded points in the second frame that saw a match-high 12 ties and six lead changes. The Pioneers assembled a late 4-1 run to build a 23-21 advantage after Briley Decker delivered a kill. The Bison responded taking advantage of a service error and Hinze kill to tie the contest, 23-23. However, Denver closed the set with two straight points to win the set, 25-23.

The two teams continued to battle into the third frame until Denver was able to open up a 16-10 lead and force an NDSU timeout by the midway point following a kill from Ava Reynolds. The Bison then stormed back with six straight points to steal a late edge, 24-23, after a kill from Barth. The Pioneers responded with a 3-0 run of their own to win the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-0.

NDSU will be back in action hosting St. Thomas on Thursday night. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m., at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.