Box Score CEDAR CITY, Utah - After an exciting victory against Idaho State earlier this week, the Southern Utah volleyball team had an opportunity to win their final two home matches of the season if they won today. However, the Wildcats of Weber State came out hot and won the match in three sets.

The first set was full of long runs from both teams. The Wildcats started off fast by gaining a 3-0 lead. The Thunderbirds, however, soon struck back by going on a 7-0 run. Southern Utah showed off their diverse array of talent in this run. Four different players had a kill and three players contributed to the two blocks they had on this run.

The score soon evened out at 11-11 but then Weber State couldn't miss and went on a 13-0 run and won the set 25-14.

The second and third sets were more balanced and didn't have quite so many runs. Janet Kalniuvalu led the offensive surge for the Thunderbirds with 11 kills.

Macky Fifta was also an important contributor with six kills and 11 digs.

For the Wildcats, Amanda Varley and Andrea Hale had vital performances. Varley hit 12 kills for the match and Hale hit ten. Hale had a double-double as well as she recorded 12 digs.

Weber State gained another quick lead in the second set going up 12-4. They never relinquished that lead as they went on to win the set 25-15.
In the third and final set, the Wildcats got ahead early again. Southern Utah battled hard to keep things close and tied the score back up a couple times, but eventually it was too much and Weber State won the final set 25-19.

Furthermore, Alexis Averett and Rylee Rogers were a big help to the Thunderbird offense as they assisted on 24 of the team's 30 kills. Defensively, Anna Cox led the team in blocks with four.

Senior Day

Celebrations were in order for seniors Macky Fifita and MaCail Evans for their final home match today. They have each been critical pillars for the Southern Utah volleyball team this year.

Fifita has led the team in kills this year with 305 total. Along with her talents on offense, she also leads the team with 321 digs.

Evans has come alive this season as an invaluable contributor for the Thunderbirds. She has hit 222 total kills this season and has the highest hitting percentage on the team at .327. Furthermore, Evans has frustrated attackers all year with her blocking abilities at net. She has 127 total blocks this year and is currently ranked 12th in the nation for total blocks.

Moving Forward

The Southern Utah volleyball team will compete in their final two matches of the season on the road next week. They will first compete against Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. MT Thursday night and will conclude their season against Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. MT Saturday afternoon.

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