PHOENIX - The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team competed against the Grand Canyon Antelopes in Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 26, falling in four sets. The Thunderbirds fall to 4-6 in Western Athletic Conference play while the Antelopes move to 7-3 in the WAC.
Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:
"The team battled hard and it was close even with 16 missed serves and GCU having 14 blocks. We clean those two areas up and it's a different ball game. Looking forward to attacking at home this week."
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Match Recap
Tied 4-4 early in the first, each team exchanged 5-0 scoring runs on the way to a 15-12 GCU advantage going into the media break. Out of the timeout, both clubs continued to exchange points before a quick 3-0 run from SUU tied things up once again at 19. A few points later, another 3-0 run from the Thunderbirds gave them a slim 22-20 lead, but four of the next five went the way of the Antelopes, giving them the one-point advantage, 24-23 before a quick kill from Andrea Spasojevic tied it up at 24 apiece. However, this would be the closest Southern Utah would get, as a quick kill and service ace from Grand Canyon would seal the frame 26-24 and give the home team a 1-0 lead.
Set number two followed a similar script to the first, with an early 4-0 scoring run from the Antelopes helping them hold an early 10-8 lead. With the Thunderbirds looking to gain momentum, another scoring run from GCU sparked their offense, building a 19-13 lead late in the set. Southern Utah tried to take advantage of errors from their opponent, but Grand Canyon would knock down six of the last seven to claim set two 25-14 and put them up 2-0 in the match.
With GCU up 8-4 to start the third frame, SUU put their offense to work, capitalizing on errors from their opponent to string together two separate 3-0 scoring runs on the way to a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. Coming out of the break, Grand Canyon began to attack, scoring on five straight to give them a slight 17-15 advantage. A few points later, Southern Utah retook the lead with four straight kills, 20-18. Both squads continued to battle back-and-forth but kills from Victoria Zibecchi and Spasojevic would ice the set 25-22 and extend the match to a fourth frame.
The fourth was another back-and-forth affair for both teams, with the Antelopes holding a 16-11 lead halfway through the set. The Thunderbirds looked to get things going with a kill from Molly McDermott, exchanging 3-0 runs with their opponent to find themselves down only four, 19-15. A few points later, three straight kills from GCU put them on the brink, 24-17, and despite two quick points from their opponent, would go on to take the fourth 25-19 and give them the win 3-1.
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will return home on Thursday, Oct. 31 to take on their northern rival, the Utah Valley Wolverines. The match is set to go at 6:30 p.m. MT and will be live on ESPN+.
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