Cedar City, UT - Southern Utah (1-11, 0-1) opened WAC play at home against in-state rival Utah Tech on Thursday night, ultimately falling in straight sets to the Trailblazers. The Thunderbirds showed early energy in each frame, but Utah Tech's (10-3, 1-0) high-powered offense and pressure from the service line proved the difference maker in the 0-3 outcome.

Game Recap

Southern Utah came out sharp in the opening set, grabbing an early 4–1 lead with kills from Addyson McArthur, Kaitlyn Hoelker, and Kaitlyn Aleshire, plus a block at the net. The Trailblazers quickly responded behind the serving of Tehanie Waters and back-to-back kills from Tessa Treanor, sparking a run that flipped the score to 10–5. The Thunderbirds pushed back with kills from Hoelker and Victoria Zibecchi, but Utah Tech kept building momentum with strong swings from Kennedi Knudsen and Casidy Fried, stretching the lead late. Despite SUU finding points through McArthur, Aleshire, and Zibecchi, the Trailblazers closed the set on a 6–2 run to secure a 25–13 win and a 1–0 lead in the match.

The Thunderbirds and Trailblazers traded early points in the second frame, with SUU getting kills from Zibecchi and Amaya Tobias to stay even at 3–3. Southern Utah grabbed a brief 6–5 edge following a Tobias service ace, but Utah Tech answered quickly with a series of kills from Treanor and Knudsen to regain momentum. SUU kept battling behind swings from McArthur, Tobias, and Zibecchi, and a late block by Ajia Hughes helped the T-Birds trim the deficit to 17–24. Southern Utah extended the set with three straight points on Trailblazer errors before Utah Tech capitalized on a service miscue to close the frame, 25–17, taking a 2–0 match advantage.

SUU again showed fight in the third set, pulling even at 10–10 after back-to-back kills from Hughes and Zibecchi. The Thunderbirds continued to push, with McArthur delivering an ace and Hoelker putting away a kill. But Utah Tech's front line stiffened, forcing SUU into attack errors while Knudsen and Taylor Snow combined for key kills that widened the gap to 16–10. The Thunderbirds fought to stay close with points from Aleshire and Tobias, trimming the margin to four at 20–16, but the Trailblazers closed strong on a 5–0 run to finish the match with a 25–16 win and the sweep.

Thunderbirds Standouts

• Victoria Zibecchi – Tallied five kills on 15 swings while adding a dig.
• Kaitlyn Hoelker – Matched Zibecchi with five kills and chipped in a block assist.
• Kaitlyn Aleshire – Contributed five kills and a block assist.
• Amaya Tobias – Added four kills, a service ace, and a solo block.

Coach Jensen Said

"We came out slow. It took a little bit for them to get going, and they were having a hard time making the adjustments that needed to be made. We had the looks, we just weren't connecting and putting the ball away."

Up Next

Southern Utah volleyball will quickly hit the road and travel to Arlington, Texas, to face UT Arlington on Saturday, September 27, at 12:00 PM MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

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