ST. GEORGE, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team fought hard but fell short on Monday, Oct. 21, against the Utah Tech Trailblazers, losing 3-1. The Thunderbirds drop to 4-4 in the Western Athletic Conference, while the Trailblazers move to 5-3 in conference play.
Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:
"Utah Tech blocked very well, and we didn't. We have to get over the net to slow offenses and help our's get going. We knew they would want revenge after how we played the last match, and they played well. Looking forward to attacking at CBU and GCU this week."
Top T-Birds
- Finley Charapata led the offense with a career-high five aces and 20 total points.
- Teniyah Leuluai continued her impressive season, posting her 12th 30+ assist game of the year.
- Andrea Spasojevic (17) and Leuluai (12) hustled defensively, posting double-digit digs.
Match Recap
The first set began with a back-and-forth balanced attack from both squads, with a 4-0 run led by two service aces from Finley Charapata charging the Thunderbirds to an 11-8 score leading into a Utah Tech timeout. Coming out of the break, the Trailblazers lit up the scoreboard, capitalizing on eight straight points followed by another scoring run of six straight. Southern Utah looked to claw back into the game with kills from Charapata and Kennady Charlton, but Utah Tech closed out the set 25-15 to take a 1-0 lead.
Frame number two flipped the script, with neither team going up by more than two points throughout. With the score tied at 22 late, the Trailblazers had service with a chance to retake the lead, but a kill from Kennady Charlton gave the Thunderbirds the one-point advantage. Now on service, Charlton bounced the ball past the defender for a service ace, forced an error from Utah Tech to give Southern Utah the hard-fought set win 25-22, and tied the match at one apiece.
Southern Utah came out of the gate firing in the third, scoring the first four points of the game and forcing an early Utah Tech timeout. After regrouping, the Trailblazers began to dominate once more, taking the lead on a 6-0 run and holding a 17-9 lead at the halfway mark of the set. Four straight points from the Thunderbirds brought them within striking distance, 17-13, but eight of nine from their opponent shut the door on the comeback 25-14 and gave Utah Tech a 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth, a balanced attack from the Thunderbirds kept things close, with the team holding a slim two-point deficit halfway through, 14-12. Coming down the wire, both clubs exchanged points as the Trailblazers continued to hold their lead. Up 23-19, Utah Tech conceited two straight kills to put Southern Utah within two. However, this would be as close as the Thunderbirds would get, as the Trailblazers would capitalize on two points to win set number four 25-21 and give the team a 3-1 win.
Up Next
Southern Utah will continue conference play as the team travels west to take on the California Baptist Lancers on Thursday, Oct. 24. The match is set to go at 8:00 p.m. MT and will be live on ESPN+.
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