CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Southern Utah fell to in-state rival Utah Tech 3-1 (25-12, 25-22, 18-25, 25-15) despite strong pushes in the second and third sets that nearly swung the tide of the match.
Thunderbirds Leaders
- Audrey Atwood led all Southern Utah players with 11 digs for the night while also finishing tied for most kills on the team with eight.
- Ryen Smith matched Atwood with eight kills while hitting .333 and recording three total blocks, including one solo rejection.
- Kaitlyn Barnes had a big night against the Trailblazers, recording nine digs while sending home a personal season-high five kills.
- Molly Mitchell sent home five kills while hitting an incredible .455 with zero attack errors and led the Thunderbirds with three service aces in the match.
Strong Start Nearly Leads to Set Two Victory
After dropping the first set to the Traiblazers, the Thunderbirds came into set two fired up and ran out to a quick 7-2 lead with Audrey Atwood leading the charge with a kill and a block assist. After Utah Tech rallied to cut the Southern Utah lead to two at 10-8, the Thunderbirds went on a 5-1 scoring run, fueled by three Emilia Zug kills. Even as the Trailblazers closed in, a solo block by Cala Cooper and a kill by Audrey Atwood kept the Thunderbirds in the lead late until a 5-0 run saw Utah Tech go up 23-21 before closing the set out 25-22.
Offensive Efficiency Wins Set Three
Southern Utah started the third set in similar fashion to the second, quickly building a 6-3 lead with four different players scoring kills early on. Despite pushback from Utah Tech, the Thunderbirds managed to keep their lead thanks to timely kills from Ryen Smith, Audrey Atwood and Molly Mitchell. Then, with Southern Utah's lead down to just one point, the Thunderbirds scored the next five points in a row, capped off by back-to-back Kaitlyn Barnes kills to go up 20-14. That would prove to be enough of a lead as the Thunderbirds took the frame 25-18. Southern Utah had only four attacking errors in the third set as it out-hit Utah Tech .211 to .022.
Post-Match Interview With Coach Jensen
Up Next
The Thunderbirds hit the road for their final match away from the America First Event Center as they take on the Northern Colorado Bears in Greeley, Colo. on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6:00 pm.
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