CEDAR CITY, Utah – Career nights from Makenzie Templeton and Raegen Beeson lifted the Southern Utah University volleyball team to victory on Saturday, as they defeated California Baptist in a five-set duel.
Neither squad could hold an advantage to start set one. The two teams took turns exchanging points, and soon the score was tied at 12-12. Following this, the Thunderbirds fired off three straight points to jump in front. Southern Utah managed to stay ahead for the next stretch of the game and found themselves leading 19-16 approaching the end of the set. The Lancers clawed back into the game, and even managed to take a one-point lead (22-21), but it wouldn't last. The Thunderbirds maintained composure and scored four straight points to seize the first set 25-22.
Southern Utah started the second set by scoring four of the first five points. California Baptist rebounded from their slow start, coming back to tie the match at 12 points apiece. The stalemate of a set continued, as the two teams would trade blow for blow and find themselves tied at 24-24. The Lancers would go on to score two points in a row and take set two 26-24.
The Thunderbirds would leap out to a 7-2 advantage to begin set three. The Lancers briefly came back to trim the lead to one, but following this the T-Birds would put on a clinic. The lead would stretch to ten after an ace from Macy Short (21-11). Southern Utah would wrap up a dominant set with a score of 25-14.
Templeton helped set the tone to start the fourth set, scoring three of the Thunderbirds first six points to build a 6-3 edge over the Lancers. California Baptist would come roaring back, utilizing an 8-3 run to take a two-point lead (11-9). The Lancers stayed hot, ultimately finishing the set with a score of 25-16, forcing a fifth and final set.
The final set was looking to be a close one in the beginning, as the two squads were tied at 3-3. Then the points began to pour in for Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds mounted a ferocious 7-0 run behind the spectacular play of Templeton, Rylee Achtzehn, and Freshman Brooke Pattschull, giving SUU a commanding 10-3 advantage. Southern Utah rode this momentum straight to the finish line. Beeson scored the final point with an emphatic kill, winning the set 15-7 and the match 3-2.
Makenzie Templeton was unstoppable, collecting a career-high 29 kills to go along with 13 digs. Raegen Beeson also set her career-high with 16 kills. Beeson was dominant on the defensive side, totaling five blocks. Sarah Gasper added a team-high 19 digs, while Macy Short tallied 61 assists.
With the win, Southern Utah improves to 6-6 in conference play and 7-14 overall.
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will travel to Texas on Thursday to take on Stephen F. Austin. The match is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. MT.
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