CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team competed against the Utah Valley Wolverines on Thursday, Oct. 31, falling in four sets. The Thunderbirds move to 8-14 on the season and 4-7 in the Western Athletic Conference, while the Wolverines improve to 16-7 on the season and 7-4 in WAC play.
Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:
"We battled really well most of the match and it came down to a couple of points that didn't fall our way to help us take it to a fifth. Our offense was fantastic; we just have to slow them down."
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Match Recap
The first frame was a back-and-forth affair for both clubs, with both teams exchanging points before two quick kills from Finley Charapata gave the home team an 11-9 lead. After a 3-0 run from the Wolverines, the clubs continued to trade points, with UVU holding a 15-14 lead into the media timeout. Coming out of the break, Utah Valley went on the attack, scoring six of the next eight to hold a five-point lead down the home stretch, 21-16. Kennady Charlton capitalized on a quick point to cut into the lead, but another scoring run of four iced the set for the Wolverines 25-17.
In the second, UVU came out of the gate firing, scoring seven of the first eight on their way to holding a 16-8 lead at the halfway point of the set. Southern Utah looked to gain momentum, taking advantage of Wolverine errors to get as close as six, but the lead proved insurmountable as Utah Valley would go on to take the frame 25-16 and give them a 2-0 lead.
After the Thunderbirds opened up the third set with a 3-0 run, Utah Valley responded by scoring seven of the next eight to take the early 7-4 lead. After another 3-0 scoring run from SUU tied things up, both teams began to exchange points, with the home team holding a 15-13 advantage halfway through the frame. Going down the stretch, both teams continued to exchange points before three straight from Southern Utah gave them a 22-17 lead. The Wolverines continued to storm back to get within two, 23-21, but kills from Charlton and Marlee Ervin gave the Thunderbirds set three, 25-22, and extended the match to a fourth set.
Set number four started similarly to the first and third, with both teams exchanging kills before a 4-0 run from Southern Utah gave them a 15-10 lead halfway through the set. After a timeout from Utah Valley, the Wolverines put their offense to work, taking seven of the following eight points to take a one-point lead, 17-16. A kill from Charapata tied things up yet again, but UVU continued to put on the pressure, grabbing a 22-19 lead late. A 3-0 run from the Thunderbirds knotted the score at 22, but that would be the closest the team would get as three of the next four would go the way of the visiting team, giving Utah Valley the game 25-23 and a 3-1 match win.
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will have a quick turnaround as they host the Seattle Redhawks on Saturday, Nov. 2. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. MT, and fans can tune in live on ESPN+.
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