FRESNO, Calif. -- Southern Utah Women's Volleyball lost its opening match of the Bulldog Classic in Fresno on Thursday in three sets to host Fresno State. Despite the sweep, the Thunderbirds continue to show signs of improvement on offense, suggesting more favorable results are soon to come.
Fresno State's offense started on fire, scoring the first six points of the match en route to a commanding 12-2 lead before Southern Utah started to work its way back. After the slow start to the set, the Thunderbirds found a groove and went nearly point-for-point with the Bulldogs the rest of the way, ending the frame in a 25-14 score.
The second set started much more favorably for the Thunderbirds, keeping the score close through the early points at 10-6 in favor of Fresno State. Then, a 10-2 run by the Bulldogs put them comfortably in the lead, where they would end the set at 25-12.
Southern Utah started the third set strong, matching every scoring run their opponents managed, leading to just a two point deficit at 15-13, and giving hope that the match could be extended to a fourth frame. Those hopes were quickly dashed as the Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run and ultimately finished the match with a 25-18 win.
The Thunderbirds managed 27 kills across three sets against a solid Fresno State defense, continuing to show promise on offense. Defensively, Southern Utah continues to get everyone involved as 12 of 14 Thunderbirds recorded at least one dig on the night.
Maya Banks led the team in scoring for the second match in a row, recording eight total kills, and assisting on a block for good measure. Kaitlyn Hoelker and Emilia Zug finished the night with identical hitting percentages of .333, a season high for both, giving further evidence of the offense's continued improvement. Defensively, Celeste Uruena Jensen, Zorana Stankovska and Emilia Zug all tied for the team lead with 6 digs each.
Southern Utah is back in action tomorrow as it will battle the UC Irvine Anteaters at 3:00 p.m. MT.
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