Southern Utah University’s volleyball team suffered their fifth straight Western Athletic Conference loss in a 3-0 sweep by Abilene Christian University on Thursday, Oct. 5.
The first set got off to a tough start when the ACU Wildcats jumped to a six-point lead. From that stretch forward, Southern Utah was playing from behind. Despite being down 24-12, the Thunderbirds managed to score six straight points, including a kill by outside hitter Andrea Spasojevic and three service aces by setter Teniyah Leuluai. ACU finished off the set with a kill to make it 25-18.
Starting the second set almost as quickly as the first, the Wildcats stole five of the first six points. Late in the set, ACU managed their second six-point streak of the night to put them ahead by 10. A kill from middle blocker Braden Bossier sealed the set at 25-16.
ACU continued to dominate in the third set, where aces from libero Abby Christian contributed to a 12-4 start. Five more kills put the Wildcats up 20-9 before the Thunderbirds once again tried to pull together a comeback. A couple of kills from middle blocker Hana Makonova managed to boost SUU’s score to 16 before ACU finished off the match with a second 25-16 set.
The loss dropped Southern Utah’s record to 0-5 in the WAC and 4-11 overall, while the Wildcats improved to 3-2 in the conference and 8-9 overall.
Leading performers
— ACU’s Bossier and outside hitter Bryley Steinhilber combined for 21 total kills.
— Christian racked up five aces for the Wildcats.
— Thunderbirds Molly McDermott and Arianna Rossi each totaled 14 digs.
— Spasojevic’s six points extended her season total to 157.
— Leuluai’s 18 assists boosted her over 400 on the season.
Next up
SUU will travel to Tarleton State University on Saturday, Oct. 7, for their second Texas showdown of the week against the 11-8 Texans. The game will start at 1 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN+.
Author: Kale Nelson
Photos courtesy of SUU Athletics
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
