OGDEN, Utah - The season is underway for the Southern Utah University volleyball team, as the T-Birds played their first two games in the Weber State Tournament today. The day started off with a matchup against San Jose State, and ended with a duel against the host team Weber State.

Game One

Southern Utah began their first set of the season strong, taking a 6-1 lead to initiate the match. San Jose State battled back in what was a highly competitive first set, claiming a 25-23 victory over the Thunderbirds.

The two teams continued to play at a high pace entering the second set, as SUU took an early 5-3 lead over the Spartans. San Jose State responded, earning the next seven points of the match to establish a 10-5 lead. SJSU continued to expand their lead, capturing the set by a final of 25-11.

Southern Utah picked up their level of play in the third set, earning five consecutive points to take an 8-5 lead after falling behind early. Ronnie Robinson tallied five kills in the set, and Molly McDermott recorded three kills of her own, including the winning point, as the T-Birds took the set 25-20. 

San Jose State came out strong to begin the fourth set, building a 21-13 lead over SUU. The Thunderbirds fought back, trimming the lead to six, but that was as close as they would get, as the Spartans took the set and the match, 3-1. 

McDermott had a solid match for Southern Utah, tallying 11 kills, 12 assists, and 11 digs. Makenzie Templeton also had a strong outing for the Thunderbirds, finishing the match with 10 kills and 11 points, while Macy Short recorded a team-high 19 assists in SUU's first match of the season.

Game Two

The Thunderbirds came out swinging to start the game, jumping out to a 9-6 lead early on. Weber State kept the game within striking distance until midway through the match, where the T-Birds proved to be too much for the Wildcats. The lead grew to six after a huge hit from Makenzie Templeton gave SUU a 19-13 advantage. Rylee Achtzehn scored the winning kill to give the Thunderbirds a decisive 25-19 win in the first set. 

The Wildcats bounced back in the second set, as they took a 13-7 lead midway through and never looked back. Weber would go on to win the second set with a score of 25-13.

Weber jumped out to a 17-5 lead in the third set. The Thunderbirds rallied from an early deficit, storming back into the game with a 7-1 run to cut the lead into single digits. In the end the Wildcats held on to the lead and took the set 25-15.

Both teams battled hard in the fourth set, which proved to be a close contest. Weber took an early 11-8 lead. The Thunderbirds would get within three points towards the end of the contest, but Weber pulled away to earn a 25-19 victory, winning the match 3-1.

It was a total team effort tonight for Southern Utah. Rylee Achtzehn had a great game, totaling 11 kills and 12 points. Molly McDermott led the T-Birds with 18 assists, while Macy Short added a team-high 13 digs.

Up Next

The Thunderbirds look to close out the tournament Saturday against UC Riverside at 2:30 p.m. MT.

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