DENVER - SIUE Volleyball opened the Denver Invitational Thursday with a four-set loss to the host Denver squad. The Cougars came out strong, controlling the entirety of the first set before the Pioneers rallied to take the next three sets to ultimately claim the victory.  
 
SIUE finished the match with 40 kills on 36 assists and added seven service aces. The Cougars also maintained their impressive play at the net, recording 11 total blocks.
 
Anika Ivester continues to shine for the Cougars early in the season, leading the team in points (15), kills (8), blocks (7), service aces (3) through four sets today vs. the Pioneers. Kennedy Pike also provided a solid showing offensively, finishing with eight kills while hitting .389 for the match.
 
Denver was led by Jamia Johnson and Quinlan Jones, who combined for 29 kills to guide the Pioneers past SIUE.
 

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#24 BYU 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
PROVO, Utah - Eastern Illinois was outpaced by nationally ranked BYU, suffering a sweep to open the BYU/Utah Nike Invitational. EIU falls to 1-3 (0-0 OVC), while the Cougars remain undefeated with a 3-0 (0-0 Big 12) start to the season. 

The Panthers struggled to find their footing in the first two sets, with a below-zero hitting percentage.  

EIU held their own defensively, finishing the match with 35 digs and six blocks, including four from the recent OVC Defensive Player of the Week, Emma Hanson. Their defense led them to a contested third set, in which the Panthers held a 15-13 lead heading into the media timeout.  

Eastern Illinois continued to maintain a small lead with a 20-19 advantage in the late stages of the set.  

However, BYU scored the remaining four out of five points to clinch the match victory.