Arlington, TX - Southern Utah volleyball (1-12, 0-2) fell in straight sets to UT Arlington (9-4, 1-0). The Thunderbirds continue to seek out their first win against the Mavericks, as they fall to 0-5 all-time against UT Arlington. The Thunderbirds continue to show aggression and an ability to will momentum back in their favor after trailing in matches.

Game Recap

The first set saw UT Arlington jump out to an early 3-0 lead, forcing the Thunderbirds to dig in right from the start. Southern Utah battled back with strong play from Kaitlyn Hoelker, who recorded an early kill, and showed early signs of momentum on defense with blocks from Addyson McArthur and Kaitlyn Aleshire. Despite solid efforts from Addyson McArthur, Kaitlyn Hoelker, and Ajia Hughes, the Mavericks maintained control, capitalizing on a few SUU errors and building a lead in the mid-teen scores. The Thunderbirds fought to stay in the set, with a late kill by Amaya Tobias sparking a small run, but UT Arlington closed out the set 25-13.

The second set saw a different pace and energy from the Thunderbirds. They secured their first lead of the match early, 4-3, led by Victoria Zibecchi. The Mavericks put together a 7-2 run following the early Southern Utah lead due to several attacking errors and service errors by the Thunderbirds. Southern Utah eyed a comeback after falling 15-10, cutting their deficit to three points with another key kill by Zibecchi and an attacking error by UT Arlington. Addyson McArthur recorded her second kill of the match shortly after, cutting the Mavericks' lead 17-15. Kaitlyn Aleshire caught fire after Southern Utah fell behind 16-20, getting back-to-back kills to bring Southern Utah within two points. The Thunderbirds would continue to ride their momentum, tying the set up at 20 behind a kill by Zibecchi and an attacking error by UT Arlington. UT Arlington would swing the momentum in their favor, finishing the set on a 5-0 run to win the set.

The Thunderbirds continued the positives from the second set into the third. The set saw both teams going toe-to-toe, and a 4-4 tie was the score early. The Mavericks gained momentum after back-to-back aces by Jalie Tritt. After the Thunderbirds fell behind 13-9, Amaya Tobias and Kaitlyn Hoelker recorded kills to bring Southern Utah to a 13-11 deficit. UT Arlington went on a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 19-11. Hoelker would stop the bleeding for the Thunderbirds with a kill to cut the Mavericks lead to seven. Southern Utah generated momentum with kills from Aleshire, Hoelker, and Zibbechi to bring Southern Utah's deficit to four. An Ace by Ezgi Kucuk brought the Thunderbirds within three. The comeback was held in check by UT Arlington as they ultimately won 25-21 and completed the sweep.

Thunderbirds Standouts

• Victoria Zibecchi (#7) – Led SUU offensively with seven kills on 25 attempts (.200 hitting percentage), contributing two blocks and one dig.
• Kaitlyn Aleshire (#15) – Strong attacking presence with seven kills on 12 attempts (.417), added two blocks and one dig.
• Amaya Tobias (#13) – Versatile on both offense and defense: three kills, a block, a dig, and scored 3.5 points overall.
• Kaitlyn Hoelker (#5) – Efficient attacking performance with four kills on 13 attempts (.308)
• Addyson McArthur (#8) – Contributed two kills and chipped seven digs to help keep the Thunderbirds in rallies.

Coach Jensen Said

"We made some adjustments with our lineup throughout the match and saw moments of progress, but the team wasn't able to sustain a push, and the errors allowed UT Arlington to come out on top."

Up Next

Southern Utah volleyball will host California Baptist next Saturday, October 4, at the American First Event Center at 12:30 PM MT. 

Tickets

Tickets are on sale now! Get your tickets today by visiting tbirdtickets.com! 

Follow Us

Stay up to date on the Thunderbirds Volleyball program by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.

Donate

To help support Thunderbirds athletics, consider donating today! To learn more about how you can support, click here.