Southern Utah University went on the road this past week to Texas, where they played both Abilene Christian University and Tarleton State University. SUU won their matchup against Tarleton in five sets, but fell to Abilene Christian in five sets.
SUU had a great road trip and has a lot to build off of heading into the final games of their season. With their win against Tarleton State, SUU has officially clinched a spot in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
Match against Tarleton State
An intense five-set match saw SUU win in a narrow back-and-forth match. SUU won the first two matches 25-23 then dropped the next two sets 19-25 and 18-25. The momentum was with Tarleton heading into the fifth set which would go to 15 as compared to the usual 25.
Victoria Zibecchi led the way for the team with 16 kills and was a major factor in their 15-11 win in the fifth. Teniyah Leuluai also had a standout performance, leading the team with eight blocks and 47 assists.
Match against Abilene Christian
Southern Utah competed well in the first two sets against Abilene Christian but couldn’t grab a set. SUU held a 24-23 lead in the second set but back-to-back kills from Alexis Strong followed by an attacking error from Finley Charapata earned ACU the 26-24 win and 2-0 set lead.
Southern Utah didn’t go down without a fight, dominating in the third set. Southern Utah got out to an early 12-6 lead and never looked back, winning the set 25-17. Set four was much closer. Southern Utah led 16-14 and then used a 9-6 run to earn the 25-20 win and force a fifth set.
Set five was close to start with but after taking an 6-5 lead, the Wildcats went on a 9-3 run to outlast the Thunderbirds 15-8 and win the match 3-2.
The series was split and will end at one apiece. Marlee Ervin was a bright spot on the team, as she scored 14 kills. Leuluai had another outstanding game with 52 assists
What’s next?
SUU will host the University of Texas at Arlington at home on Thursday, Nov.14, at 6:30 p.m. This game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Preston Ferry
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Jack Paul
