RECAP | Southern Utah Volleyball Goes 1-2 in Nevada Invitational 

CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird volleyball program swept the Gonzaga Bulldogs 3-0 and fell to both the Nevada Wolfpack (3-2) and the California Baptist Lancers (3-0) this weekend in their last non-conference outing. 

"A gritty performance all around," said head coach Pete Hoyer. "With only 10 playable bodies, it was a shift in our lineup and team flow. The girls were able to grind it out, especially in the Gonzaga match. Myself and the team feel confident heading into our very competitive Big Sky Conference play next week."

Thea Leiataua and Stacey Hone tied for kill leader this weekend as both tallied 29, followed closely by Shannon Webb who added 28 of her own. Leiataua also led in digs totalling 40, followed by Webb who had 39. Corrin Peterson combined for 106 assists. Upon tournament completion Peterson received All-Tournament honors. 

"Peterson continues to step up her game as our other setters are recovering for Big Sky Conference Play. I am really impressed with her confidence and her ability to fill some shoes that she has never been asked to fill before," said Hoyer.  "I also would like to note the leadership and poise of Thea Leiataua over the course of the weekend. She was a steady player for us. Raegan Ashby also stepped up her game this weekend as she earned her first collegiate start and played exceptionally well. Overall, I am proud of the group that competed this weekend." 

University of Nevada Wolfpack (2-3)

The Thunderbirds went all five sets with the Wolfpack but were overpowered 15-8 in the last set, giving the match to Nevada. 

Leiataua led the T-Birds in kills, breaking her own career record in both kills and points with 13 kills and 16.5 points. Leiataua also led the team in digs with 16. Peterson tallied 42 assists and set a new personal career record of 6.5 points in a single match. Mckenzie Dowell totalled six blocks followed by Leiataua who added three blocks of her own.

The first set stayed close until the 11-11 mark where Nevada went on a 4-0 scoring run. An attack error gave SUU a sideout but Nevada quickly scored and went on to tack on three more, putting the Wolfpack up by six at 18-12. The Thunderbirds comeback effort took them on a five point run at 23-18, which knotted the score at 23-23. A kill from Nevada's Kili Robins and an attack error by Webb gave the set to the Wolfpack at 25-23. 

SUU put themselves up by seven early in the second set at 12-5. The Thunderbirds held their lead until Nevada made an 8-0 scoring run, putting the Wolfpack up by one at 15-14. A kill by Hone followed by three more SUU points put the T-Birds back up at 21-18. Nevada put two more on the board before the Thunderbirds took the set 25-20. 

The third set knotted at 8-8 before the T-Birds capitalized on Wolfpack errors and went up by four at 12-8. The Thunderbirds kept their four point lead until 19-16 where Nevada came back to tie things up at 21-21. A kill from Leiataua was the final peg in the Thunderbirds four point run to take the third set 25-21. 

The fourth set was controlled by the Wolfpack after the 9-9 mark where they separated themselves by as much as nine at 23-14. The Thunderbirds battled back with a late 5-1 scoring run but it wasn't enough to close the gap. Nevada put away two more, closing the set at 25-19. 

During the fifth and final set the Thunderbirds started behind as the Wolfpack took an early at 8-4. After switching sides, Nevada ran away with the game, scoring five in a row to take the set 15-8, winning the match 3-2.

California Baptist University Lancers (0-3)

The Thunderbirds lost 3-0 in their second match of Friday's lineup to the Lancers of California Baptist University. 

Leiataua and Hone led the T-Birds offensively with 11 kills a piece. Peterson chipped in 34 assists and seven digs. Defensively, Leiataua led with 14 digs, followed by Webb who had 13. Hone also led in blocks with four. 

Going into the first set, the T-Birds held a generous lead over the Lancers with their largest by five at 17-12. Cal Baptist rallied back, scoring six unanswered points, putting themselves up by one at 18-17. The score knotted four times (20-20, 21-21, 22-22, and 23-23) before the Lancers closed out the set at 25-23, putting them up by one in the match. 

The Lancers separated themselves by six at 13-7 during the second set before the T-Birds were able to rally back. Three T-Birds kills and an attack error brought SUU within two at 13-11. A second 4-0 run put the Thunderbirds up by one at 17-16. The Lancers answered back by going up by four at 23-19. SUU 4-1 comeback effort wasn't enough as Cal Baptist took the set 25-23. 

The third set was controlled by the Lancers from the beginning as they led the T-Birds for the entirety of the set. Cal Baptist closed out the set at 25-16, taking the match 3-0.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (3-0)

SUU swept the Zags in three sets to close out their play in the Nevada Invitational. 

Webb finished the match as kill leader with 13 followed by Hone who had eight. Peterson contributed 30 assists overall. Defensively, freshman Sarah Gasper led in digs 12, followed by Leiataua who had 10. 

The score knotted five times before the ten point mark in the first set. The Thunderbirds then took the lead by three at 12-9 before making their biggest push of the set, a 6-0 scoring run that kept them atop at 18-11. The Zags made a small comeback effort but it wasn't enough as the T-Birds put the set away at 25-21. 

Going into the second set the Thunderbirds took an early lead over the Zags, only to be caught at the 13-12 mark after a 4-0 run by the Bulldogs. SUU kept their hold on the score all the way to the end, taking the set win at 25-20. 

The T-Birds held a seven point lead of the Zags on three different occasions in the third set, the last being at the 21-14 mark after a kill from Hone. A kill from Webb, service error by the Bulldogs and the final point from Peterson, gave the Thunderbirds the third set 25-19. The third set win allowed SUU to sweep the Zags 3-0, concluding their Nevada debut. 

Next Up

The Thunderbirds will open Big Sky Conference play against Idaho State University inside the America First Event Center on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. 

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