St. George, Utah — Southern Utah volleyball (2-18, 1-8 WAC) lost its match against Utah Tech (16-5, 7-2) in straight sets on Saturday night. While Southern Utah showed fight in each set, the Thunderbirds weren't able to sustain momentum and finish out a set.
Match Recap
Southern Utah came out prepared and went toe-to-toe in the early stages against one of the WAC's best in Utah Tech. Victoria Zibecchi and Kaitlyn Aleshire led the Thunderbirds, while Kaitlyn Hoelker added a kill and Swayzee Mason delivered a service ace to tie the set at 6-6 early. Southern Utah kept it close until the Trailblazers closed the set on a 7-1 run to take the opener.
The Thunderbirds showed resilience in the second set. Ezgi Kucuk and Hoelker each recorded a kill to even the score at 5-5. Utah Tech then turned the momentum with a 7-1 run to take a 14-8 lead. Southern Utah battled to cut the deficit behind a pair of Trailblazer errors and a kill from Aleshire. Hoelker added back-to-back kills to bring SUU within 16-13, but Utah Tech finished the set on a 9-2 run.
Southern Utah came out strong again in the third set. Ajia Hughes tallied a kill to tie it at 6-6, followed by back-to-back kills from Zibecchi and a service ace from Addyson McArthur to give the Thunderbirds a 10-8 advantage. SUU stayed within reach throughout the set, with another kill from Zibecchi cutting the deficit to 18-17. Utah Tech, however, closed the frame on a 7-2 run to take the set 25-19 and complete the sweep.
Thunderbird Standouts
Coach Jensen Said
"We had another tough loss, but we were able to see a lot of growth and progress with our team. We have an end goal in mind, and we will continue to focus on that as we prepare for our match against Cal Baptist."
Up Next
Southern Utah will travel to California on Thursday, Nov. 6, to take on California Baptist. First serve is set for 7 p.m. MT.
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