The Thunderbird volleyball team came out on fire in the first set against Sacramento State. However, the Hornets stormed back to win the next three sets and the match.
Janet Kalaniuvalu set the tone for the first set after crushing a kill right out of the gates to win the first point of the match. She racked up a total of six kills in this set alone and 13 for the match. The entire team played well in this set as they had a .286 hitting percentage for the set. Once the Thunderbirds gained the lead, they didn’t look back.
Southern Utah won the first set 25-17.
The second set was time for Shannon Boyle of the Hornets to shine. She hit eight kills in the set. This was enough to push the hornets over the edge in the set and allow them to win it 25-17.
The third set followed a similar pattern as the second. The Hornets gained an early advantage and held onto it throughout the set.
Sacramento State won the third set 25-17.
The final set was tight all the way up until the end. Macky Fifita and Kalaniuvalu were critical on the offensive end for Southern Utah while Mikaela Nocetti and Boyle were the main contributors for the Hornets.
With Southern Utah trailing just 20-21, a deciding set was in the Thunderbird’s sights. However, a kill and a service ace from Boyle helped to push Sacramento State over the top and the Hornets won the set 25-20.
Kalaniuvalu and Fifita each put up double-doubles in the kill and digs columns tonight. Rylee Rogers and Elisa Lago played a huge role defensively with each of them recording 17 kills. Miranda Canez and McKenzie Van Uitert led the team in blocks with 6 each.
The Southern Utah volleyball team will be competing against the Bengals of Idaho State and the Wildcats of Weber State next week. Play will begin at 7 p.m. MT against Idaho State Thursday evening. The Thunderbirds will take the court versus Weber State Saturday at 12 p.m. MT.
Both matches will be held at home in the America First Event Center.
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Story By
SUU Athletic Strategic Communications
