CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team fell just short to the Grand Canyon Antelopes on Saturday, Oct. 12, losing in five sets. The Thunderbirds fall to 4-2 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Antelopes improve to 5-1 in WAC play.
Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:
"That was a fun battle between two talented teams. We knew tonight would be a dogfight, and we are proud of how we competed. At the same time, we still have a lot of room to improve, and we all know that it's not anything close to our best, which is very promising. Thank you to everyone who came to support us during homecoming week!"
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Match Recap
Set number one was a game of runs for both teams, where after a 4-0 run out of the gate for GCU, the Thunderbirds responded with six of eight to tie it up early. The Antelopes responded with another 5-0 run, but Southern Utah held steady and chipped into the lead before holding a slim 15-14 lead going into the media timeout. Out of the break, the scoring runs continued, with four straight from SUU giving them a 22-19 lead. Grand Canyon looked to gain momentum trading points with their opponent, but a kill from Molly McDermott ended their chances to give the Thunderbirds a 25-21 set win.
The second frame was all Antelopes early on, with GCU taking a 15-5 advantage at the set's halfway point. After a quick timeout, the Thunderbirds began to storm back, scoring six straight and 10 of 12 to find themselves down only two points, 17-15. Coming down the stretch, both teams exchanged blows, with Grand Canyon holding a slim 22-21 lead. However, this would be as close as Southern Utah would find themselves as the Antelopes fired off three straight to claim the set 25-21 and tie the match 1-1.
Grand Canyon opened the third set similarly to the previous, capitalizing on two different scoring runs to find themselves up 16-8 halfway through the period. As Southern Utah looked to respond, the Antelopes held serve, responding to each Thunderbird point with a kill of their own to hold a 24-16 lead on the brink of a win. A 3-0 scoring run from the 'Birds looked to turn the tide, but it wasn't enough, as a quick strike gave GCU the 25-19 win and a 2-1 lead.
The fourth was a back-and-forth affair for both clubs, with a 4-0 run and two separate 3-0 runs from the Thunderbirds giving them the 19-14 lead going down the stretch. However, the Antelopes refused to die, capitalizing on a 3-0 run of their own and responding to each SUU attack to give themselves a slight three-point deficit late, 23-20. Looking to ice the set, a kill from Kennady Charlton and Victoria Zibecchi gave their team a 25-21 win and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
GCU came out firing to start the fifth, scoring five straight to give the club a 6-2 lead. A few points later, Southern Utah found their response, firing off a 4-0 run of their own to tie the set at seven before a quick point from the Antelopes forced the teams to switch sides. On the opposite end of the court, Grand Canyon continued to attack, scoring five of six to find themselves on the verge of the win, 13-8. The Thunderbirds looked to respond with three of four, but it wasn't enough as the road team would claim the fifth 15-11 and a 3-2 victory.
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will head west to begin their longest road trip of the season as the team looks to take on the Seattle University Redhawks on Thursday, Oct. 17. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. MT.
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