SAN FRANCISCO -- The Southern Utah Volleyball team finished tournament play this weekend falling to Hofstra and the University of San Francisco.

Despite the results, head coach Pete Hoyer was optimistic about the teams improvement and projected future.

"We are battling," Hoyer said.  "We went from losing in three sets just two weeks ago, to now forcing teams into five (sets). In the big picture, I think it's progress."

Janet Kalaniuvalu was named to the all-tournament team following the conclusion of play.

University of San Francisco 3, Southern Utah 2

In the second match of the day Southern Utah fell 3-2 in a hard fought match against the University of San Francisco on Saturday night.

The Thunderbirds offense was led once again by Kalaniuvalu who had 13 kills on the night, followed by Anna Hopkins' 11. Miahna Waters held down the back row defense with an impressive 23 digs. Alexis Averett, Kalaniuvalu and Thea Leiataua had three aces a piece, allowing SUU to total 11 service aces for the night.

In the first and second set SUU and USF traded off the upper hand with the point margin never larger than three for either team. The Thunderbirds were able to take the first set 25-22 as well as the second set 26-24 while looking extremely confident.

"Our middles got back involved tonight. We have been working on forcing the ball into them the last two weeks. Their confidence and involvement is going to be important for us down the road and I am really pleased with how they stepped up tonight." Hoyer said.

The third set carried just as much tension as the first two, but the Don's pulled away with a 25-21 set victory, leaving the match score 2-1 with SUU in the lead.

As the Thunderbirds looked to end the match in the fourth set, they struggled to break through the blocks on the outside. Defensively, SUU played as well as they could.

"Couldn't be more proud of the way Miahna played tonight" Hoyer said, as Waters picked up 9 digs in the fourth set.

The fifth and final set was a nail biter, as once again the lead was never larger than three points.

After the officials reversed a call to benefit the Thunderbirds, the Dons answered back with an ace and a kill before having to switch sides at the 8 point mark. SUU still struggled to break through the blocks set by the Don's defense. The Thunderbirds ultimately lost the fifth set 15-11, dropping the entire match 3-2.

"One thing that is special about this team is our ability to rebound from the past," Miranda Canez said. "Coming from this morning (Hofstra match) having a rough patch and then turning it around tonight where we were fighting for each other and not focusing on what happened earlier-that's special. Even though the results haven't been what we wanted, the games and situations we are going through now, will help prepare us for conference play and achieve the goals we have set as a team."

Hofstra 3, Southern Utah 0

In the first matchup of the day, the Thunderbirds fell to the Pride 3-0.

Janet Kalaniuvalu led the Thunderbirds with 11 kills, while Mianha Waters and Rilee Rodgers both attributed 10 digs in the opening match.

The first set had the largest margin of points difference as Hofstra took the win 25-5.

Despite a tough first set, SUU fought hard in the second. Keeping the game within four points the entire time, the Thunderbirds played with much more confidence. Unfortunately the new found composure just wasn't enough and the second set resulted in a 27-25 loss for SUU.

Coming into the third and ultimately final set, the Thunderbirds were desperate for a win, but were unable to put together offensive plays quite like they had in the second set. SUU lost the third 25-15, ending the match in a 3-0 sweep for Hofstra.

Next Up

The Thunderbirds head to California one last time Friday, September 14 at 11 AM MT.

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