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Southern Utah University Athletics

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SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
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3
Winner Southern Utah SUU 4-21, 3-10 Big Sky
2
Montana State MSU 10-14, 5-8 Big Sky
Winner
Southern Utah SUU
4-21, 3-10 Big Sky
3
Final
2
Montana State MSU
10-14, 5-8 Big Sky
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Southern Utah SUU 19 24 25 25 15 (3)
Montana State MSU 25 26 20 17 12 (2)

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

Thunderbirds Reign Victorious in Five Set Thriller

RECAP | Thunderbirds Reign Victorious in Five Set Thriller

CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbirds volleyball team defeated the Bobcats of Montana State University 3-2 on Thursday night, winning the last three sets in a row.

Five Thunderbirds had double-digit kills after conclusion of play but it was Miranda Canez who topped the leaderboard with 16. Emma Mangum and Janet Kalaniuvalu followed with 13 a piece while Thea Leiataua and Anna Hopkins added 10 of their own, respectively. Hopkins also posted a career high of 10 blocks. Alexis Averett had 55 assists and four kills, one of them being match point in the final set. Miahna Waters led the defense with 32 digs and also chipped in an ace. Leiataua had 25 digs and Kalaniuvalu had 20. This was the first game in the 2018 season that the Thunderbirds out dug a team in Big Sky play.   

"It was a level of grit that we haven't shown until now," head coach Pete Hoyer said. "To win a late three sets in a row is hard to do. It takes a lot of emotional, mental and physical capacity. I am proud of the way the girls took care of things tonight, they proved to themselves that they can compete."

The Thunderbirds kept close to the Bobcats during the first set with Hopkins putting up two blocks and Mangum scoring four kills. MSU led the entire set but made the biggest distance between themselves and SUU at 22-15. Down by seven, Kalaniuvalu swung for a successful attack which started a 4-1 scoring run for the Thunderbirds. Despite the run, SUU was not able to catch the Bobcats as Kelsie White put away the final ball for MSU and the Bobcats took the first set 25-19.

The second set went much like the first with MSU leading the Thunderbirds by four at 13-9. SUU went on a 5-1 scoring run, three of five kills coming from Mangum. A close set ensued as the teams knotted the score on six different occasions, the last at 20. A kill from the Bobcat's Carina Lehto pushed the score to 21-20 and Hoyer called a timeout. Canez was the first to attack coming out of the timeout with a kill for SUU. The Bobcats took the lead by two at 24-22 but the Thunderbirds weren't going down without a fight. SUU put away two in a row to tie the set at 24. A kill by Hailey Merkes and Natalie Passeck gave the set to the Bobcats 26-24, increasing their lead in the match to 2-0.

SUU came out strong in the third set, leading the match up to the 12-12 point, hitting over 41 percent. Several defensive errors made by the Thunderbirds allowed the Bobcats to go on a 5-0 scoring run to catch up at 12. Coming out of a timeout called by SUU, MSU took the lead for the first time in the set at 14-13. The Thunderbirds quickly regained possession, scoring two in a row to put themselves up by two at 15-13. The Bobcats came back to tie the game at 19. SUU went on a 5-1 scoring run to put themselves up 23-20 where MSU called a timeout. The Thunderbirds, led by Canez, continued their scoring run, earning the first SUU set win of the night at 25-20.

The fourth set was controlled by the Thunderbirds as they led the entire time. Averett was able to use each hitter on the net which gave the Thunderbird defense time to reset. SUU's largest lead was by seven at 22-15. With every part of the game coming together, the Thunderbirds went on to take the fourth set 25-17.

Going into the fifth and final set the Bobcats were the first to put themselves on the scoreboard. The Thunderbirds put up five points before switching sides, trailing the Bobcats by three. Two kills and a Bobcat attack error tied the score at eight. Three consecutive kills put the Thunderbirds up by three at 12-9. Bobcats Evi Wilson earned a side out for MSU but SUU regained possession and a kill by Canez extended SUU's lead to 14-10. The Bobcats put two more points on the board but it was Averett who dumped the into the center of the Bobcats defense, scoring the set and match point for the Thunderbirds at 15-12. SUU won the match 3-2.

The Thunderbirds are now 4-21, 3-10 in Big Sky Conference play.

SUU will play again Saturday, November 3 as they face the Grizzlies of Montana University at 7 p.m. in Missoula, Montana.
Stay updated on the Thunderbirds 24/7 by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram along with liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.
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