Southern Utah University volleyball dropped their final two games of the season on the road against Utah Valley University and Seattle University. They close the season with a 6-20 overall record and a 2-14 Western Athletic Conference record.
In both matches, SUU lost 3-0 to their opponents, exemplifying the struggle for success that the Thunderbirds faced much of their season.
At UVU
In the Nov. 9 showdown with Utah Valley, the Thunderbirds kept the first set close, battling point-for-point to a 19-19 score. However, UVU kills and SUU mistakes allowed the Wolverines to pull ahead and take the set 25-20.
For the rest of the match, it was Wolverines all the way, with Utah Valley taking the second set 25-15 and the third 25-16.
UVU’s Tori Ellis pounded down 12 kills, and Abbie Medeiros popped the ball up on 22 digs. The victory pushed the Wolverines to a 10-16 overall record and a 7-8 record in the WAC.
While the match proved to be a tough loss for Southern Utah, the Thunderbirds did have their bright spots. Andrea Spasojevic added 10 kills and 12 digs to her impressive senior season, while Alison Rohrer managed to put together 21 assists.
At Seattle U
SUU didn’t fare much better in their second match of the week on Nov. 11 against Seattle University, although they did start to heat up at the end of the match.
They struggled in the first set, allowing the Redhawks to jump to a 24-11 lead, but a strong trio of kills from Carissa Richie brought the Thunderbirds to 16 before a missed Southern Utah serve sealed the set.
In the next two sets, SUU used everything they had in the tank to keep the score close. Still, the Redhawks jumped ahead at the end of each, taking the second set 25-19 and the third 25-20.
Seattle University’s Elif Teksoy assisted a whopping 34 times, and Arianna Bilby racked up 16 kills. On the defensive side, Tatum Chase contributed six blocks to the team’s total of 12. The Redhawks’ win landed them at an 8-19 overall record and a 3-13 WAC record.
Hana Makanova and Richie stepped up for SUU, combining for 21 kills and both locking down a hit percentage over 50%. Richie’s great performance to close the season also included five blocks.
Next up
Southern Utah volleyball will look to turn things around next season and continue to progress and improve as a team.
Author: Kale Nelson
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
