ABILENE, Texas - The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team fell short against the Abilene Christian Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 9, losing in five sets. The Thunderbirds move to 6-8 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Wildcats improve to 4-10 in the WAC.
Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:
"Proud of the team for battling back. Ultimately we beat ourselves with inopportune missed serves in the first, second and fifth sets. We really took care of business in the third and fourth set when we played to our standard of the serve and pass game."
Top T-Birds
- Freshman Marlee Ervin led the team with a career-high 14 kills.
- Teniyah Leuluai effectively spread the wealth with a new career-high of 52 assists, her second 50+ assist game of the season.
- Kennady Charlton played a balanced game with a team-high five blocks to go along with 11 kills.
Match Recap
Set number one was a tight affair for both squads, where after the Thunderbirds opened on a 3-1 run, the Wildcats responded by scoring seven of the next eight on their way to a 15-12 lead at the media break. On the other side of the timeout, both teams continued to attack, with ACU holding the advantage all the way through. Down 17-23, SUU began to chip at the lead, scoring four of five, but the comeback proved too late as the home team would take the first 25-21.
The second set started much like the first, with both teams exchanging points on the way to a 9-9 tie early. After a 5-0 run from the home team, Southern Utah responded with an 8-2 run of their own on a Finley Charapata service ace. With the Thunderbirds up 22-20 late, the Wildcats went three of four to tie things up yet again. A kill from Molly McDermott put SUU on the brink, but three straight kills from the home team gave them the set 26-24 and a 2-0 lead.
Looking to prevent the sweep, Southern Utah started the third strong, jumping out to a 15-9 lead at the halfway point of the set. Coming out of the media timeout, the 'Birds continued to roll, knocking off seven of nine points to take a dominant 22-12 lead. The Wildcats responded with a 4-0 run of their own, but the Thunderbirds went on to clinch the set 25-17 and extend the match to the fourth frame.
Going into the fourth, Southern Utah kept their momentum going, building a 16-9 lead halfway through the game. Looking to close things out, Abilene Christian knocked off five straight points to come within two, 16-14. After both teams exchanged a pair of points, SUU built their lead back up with a 5-1 run, 23-17. ACU tried to mount a comeback with three of four, but a Marlee Ervin kill iced the fourth 25-20 and pushed the match to a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth, the Wildcats came out strong, building an 8-5 lead as the squads switched sides of the court. Now on the other side of the floor, Abilene Christian continued to build their lead, capitalizing on a 3-0 run to put them on the brink of victory, 14-7. Andrea Spasojevic looked to charge the offense with a quick kill, but it wasn't enough as ACU took the fifth 15-8 and won the match 3-2.
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will return to Cedar City for their final home game of the 2024 season against the UT Arlington Mavericks. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. MT, and the team will honor their seniors in a pregame ceremony. Come out to support our incredible seniors!
Tickets
For single-game tickets, be sure to visit tbirdtickets.com.
Follow Us
You can stay current on the Thunderbird Volleyball program by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.
Donate
Consider donating today to support Thunderbird athletics! To learn more about how you can help, click here.
