SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team split two games at the Santa Clara Tournament on Friday, Sept. 13. The Thunderbirds lost to the Fresno State Bulldogs 3-1 before mounting a three-set comeback to win 3-2 against the host Broncos. The Thunderbirds improve to 4-4 on the season, while the Bulldogs fall to 3-4 and the Broncos fall to 3-3.
Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:
"The team attacked with confidence and instilled trust in one another. So proud of how we responded. When we believe and have the next ball mentality, we can beat anyone. Excited for the next match!!"
Top T-Birds vs. Fresno State
Top T-Birds vs. Santa Clara
Match Recaps
Southern Utah vs. Fresno State
The first set was tight, with both teams going point-for-point tied 12-12 before the Thunderbirds went into the media time-out down 13-15. Coming out of the break, a 4-0 run gave the team a two-point lead before two quick points from the Bulldogs tied things back up 17-17. Facing another two-point deficit late, Southern Utah jumped out with a 6-0 run led by the service of Arianna Rossi to eventually take the game 25-21.
Frame number two was a game of runs, with a Fresno State 6-0 rally giving them an early 9-3 lead. Following another 4-0 Bulldog run, the 'Birds got into rhythm, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to find themselves only down one with the score reading 15-14 in favor of Fresno State. Following an adjustment, the Bulldogs took control once again, despite kills from Andrea Spasojevic and Charlotte Wilson for Southern Utah, Fresno State would take the second 25-17.
Set three followed similarly to the previous, with a balanced attack that featured Spasojevic, Carissa Richie, and Marlee Ervin keeping the Thunderbirds close with the score reading 15-15 halfway through. After a 4-0 run from the 'Birds gave them a 20-18 lead late, the Bulldogs responded with a 4-2 run of their own to see the score tied once again 22-22. Two quick kills from Fresno's Addison Haluska put them on the brink, and despite a point from Victoria Zibecchi to put her team within one, another kill from Haluska gave the Bulldogs another win, 25-23.
Tied 3-3 early in the fourth, Fresno continued to attack, putting together two separate 4-0 runs to go up 18-11 late. Despite a couple of kills from Ervin and Spasojevic, the lead proved insurmountable as the Bulldogs would claim the set 25-16 and win the match 3-1.
Southern Utah vs. Santa Clara
The Thunderbirds came out of the gate firing, beginning the match with a 5-0 run and holding a 9-3 lead early on. With their backs against the wall, the Broncos began to chip away at the lead, holding an 15-11 deficit going into the media timeout. Tied 24-24 late in the set, Southern Utah tried to put it on ice after an error from Santa Clara, but a response from the Broncos tied things up yet again. A few points later, with both teams even at 28 apiece, two quick points from Santa Clara gave them the set 30-28.
Set number two flipped the script for both teams, as the Broncos began hot to hold a 15-7 lead halfway through. A 3-0 run from the 'Birds put the lead within five, but that would be as close as Southern Utah would get as a 6-1 run from Santa Clara put the frame away 25-13 and gave them a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams going point-for-point to see things tied at nine early. After a 5-0 run from the Thunderbirds, the Broncos began to once again slowly chip into the lead, giving their opponent a slim 18-16 lead late, but a balanced offensive attack from Charlotte Wilson, Amaya Tobias, and Marlee Ervin helped keep a 24-20 lead. Two points from Santa Clara gave them momentum, but a quick kill from Finley Charapata gave her team the 25-22 set win.
Frame number four started with much of the same, with both teams tied at seven to start. After both teams exchanged scoring runs to give the Thunderbirds a 15-12 lead at the timeout, a 4-0 and 5-0 run from Southern Utah led by the service of Molly McDermott put things away 25-17 and sent the match into a decisive fifth set.
After another point-to-point start tied the fifth 4-4, a 4-1 run from the Broncos gave them an 8-5 lead as the teams switched sides. Now on the opposite end of the court, the Thunderbirds turned on the burners, sparking a 4-1 run of their own to tie the set 9-9. As the teams once again began to exchange kills, a big point from Ervin gave her team the one-point lead, 13-12, before a couple of errors from Santa Clara sent their team packing as Southern Utah won the fifth 15-13 and completed the improbable three-set comeback.
Up Next
The Thunderbirds will have a short turnaround as the team will return home to host the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. MT.
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