Skip To Main Content

Southern Utah University Athletics

lightning logo
SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
lightning logo
3
Winner Montana UM 7-10 (4-1 BSC)
2
Southern Utah SUU 2-15 (1-4 BSC)
Winner
Montana UM
7-10 (4-1 BSC)
3
Final
2
Southern Utah SUU
2-15 (1-4 BSC)
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Montana UM 16 24 25 25 15 (3)
Southern Utah SUU 25 26 23 23 13 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Taylor Whitson - SUU Athletics Strategic Communication

Thunderbirds Fall in Five to Grizzlies

RECAP | Thunderbirds Fall in Five to Grizzlies

CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah University volleyball put up a five-set fight Thursday evening but ultimately fell 3-2 to the University of Montana.

Big kills and even bigger blocks was the story for the Thunderbirds as they posted 20 blocks on the evening, falling just one short of the SUU match record. Miranda Canez had nine blocks, three of them were solo, followed by Janet Kalaniuvalu and Emma Mangum who had one solo block each. Katie Montgomery assisted seven blocks and tallied seven kills. Leading the Thunderbirds in kills was Kalaniuvalu who broke her own season record with 25 kills on the night. Mckenzie Dowell and Mangum also swung big from the outside with 12 kills a piece. Miahna Waters chipped in two service aces, respectively and led in digs with 21.

"To start out so strong and then lose in five is hard," said head coach Pete Hoyer. "We led in digs during the first two sets and then kind of deflated from there. The serves could have been better as well, we can't be giving those points away. I am proud of our blocks tonight, our middles were playing hard. When we find the confidence to play like we did in those first two sets, there is nobody we can't compete with."

The Thunderbirds started red hot in the first set. Mangum and Kalaniuvalu swung hard, perfecting places kills inside the holes of the Grizzlies defense. Waters and Alexis Averett showed full effort, saving strong attacks by the Grizzlies. It was at the 6-7 mark when SUU went on a 4-0 scoring run to claim the lead over UM. The run gave the Thunderbirds the momentum they needed to take the set 25-15.

During the second set both teams took turns holding the lead by a comfortable margin, only to be snuck up on and and left behind. Three service errors made by the Thunderbirds and several ball handling errors gave the Grizzlies early advantage, but the Thunderbirds momentum picked up at the 16-16 mark where Kalaniuvalu led a 7-1 scoring run. The Grizzlies answered back with a 6-0 run of their own to pull ahead by one at 23-22. A ball handling error made by the Grizzlies and three kills from outside left SUU standing in the end with a 26-24 victory.

The third set came down to the wire as the Thunderbirds had a late spark. Mangum and Canez blocked well during the start, but the Grizzlies made a seemingly comfortable distance between the Thunderbirds. A 8-1 run put the Thunderbirds back in the game with a score of 23-24 but Mykaela Hammer scored the final point for UM, giving the third to the Grizzlies 25-23.

The fourth set was a much more back-and-forth game, knotting the score 11 seperate times. Five service errors and a very strong attack by the Grizzlies slowed the Thunderbirds momentum greatly. Despite five late kills from Kalaniuvalu, the Thunderbirds fell in the fourth 25-23.

The Grizzlies took control early in the fifth and final set, going on a 6-1 run before the Thunderbirds called a timeout at the 6-4 mark. A floor denting block by Canez and Kalaniuvalu put the Thunderbirds within one at 6-5, but the Grizzlies put away two more before switching sides. Playing a tight game with big swings from Montgomery, Mangum and Kalaniuvalu helped bring the Thunderbirds back within one at 14-13. UM's Hammer made the final kill for the the Grizzlies, earning them a set win 15-13 and match win 3-2.

The Thunderbirds can be seen next on Saturday, October 6 as they face the Bobcats of Montana State University at 1 p.m. in the America First Event Center.
Stay updated on the Thunderbirds 24/7 by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram along with liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.
 
Print Friendly Version