POCATELLO, Idaho -- Southern Utah lost to Idaho State 3-1 (25-20, 25-12, 18-25, 25-16) on Saturday, despite a strong third set that saw the Thunderbirds hit better than the Bengals by more than .240.
Thunderbirds Leaders
Emilia Zug had one of, if not her best, performance of the season against Idaho State, scoring 13 kills against the Bengals for her second highest total of the season. Zug was a model of efficiency, hitting .364 with just one attack error in the match.
 Audrey Atwood and Ryen Smith also finished in double digits with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Cala Cooper sent home six kills and Molly Mitchell recorded five to make it five total Thunderbirds to record at least five kills in the match.
Kaitlyn Barnes recorded a new personal season-best in digs with 16 while Audrey Atwood also reached double digits with 10. It was a good day for freshman as Molly Mitchell led the team with two total blocks and Talea Berry finished with a team-best 20 assists.
Emilia Zug Fuels Third Set Explosion
Zug was at her best in the third frame for the Thunderbirds, scoring five of her thirteen kills. The rest of the team responded in kind, with Southern Utah hitting .297 and holding Idaho State to .056.
The Thunderbirds started the set strong, running out to a 9-3 lead, and even as Idaho State started to fight its way back, clutch kills by Emilia Zug and Audrey Atwood kept the Bengals at bay. Then, with Southern Utah leading 20-18, Atwood scored her fourth kill of the set to spark a 5-0 run to close out the set, capped by back-to-back kills by none other than Zug.
Late Run Nearly Sparks Comeback in First
After a slow start to the first set, Southern Utah found itself trailing 20-11 and in desperate need of a spark. After an attack error by Idaho State, Celeste Uruena Jensen provided the spark the Thunderbirds were looking for with a clutch service ace, kicking off a 6-2 scoring run that brought the score back to 22-18 and had the Bengals looking a bit disoriented. After a timeout, Idaho State scored the next two points, but Cala Cooper and Ryen Smith countered with back-to-back kills of their own before the frame ultimately ended with a 25-20 Idaho State win.
Up Next
Southern Utah will return home for three of its last four matches of the season, starting with a rivalry matchup against Utah Tech in Cedar City on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 pm.
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