Opening up conference play in the Western Athletic Conference, the Southern Utah University women’s volleyball team played Utah Tech University on Thursday, Sept. 25, followed by a match against the University of Texas at Arlington on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Southern Utah struggled, getting swept in both games and falling to 1-12 on the year.
Game one
Going up against rival Utah Tech, it was all Trailblazers. In set one, Utah Tech dominated from the first serve. UTU got out to an early 10-5 lead and never looked back. Tessa Treanor and Kennedi Knudsen both recorded three kills, helping Utah Tech win 25-13.
Set two was back-and-forth to begin the match with the Trailblazers taking a slight 14-11 lead. Utah Tech would then go on a 9-1 run to run away with things in set two, winning 25-17.
Looking to avoid the sweep, SUU came out strong in set three, taking a 6-5 lead. After trading shots, Utah Tech went on a quick 6-1 run taking a 17-11 lead. The Trailblazers would then finish on a 5-0 run to win 25-16 and complete the three-game sweep.
Game two
Going on the road, Southern Utah went up against a stingy UT Arlington team. In set one, it was all Mavericks. UT Arlington got out to an early 11-5 lead and dominated the rest of the way. The Mavericks would go on a 7-1 run to end things, winning set one 25-13.
Set two was much closer with SUU showing fight. Despite the Mavericks getting out to a 16-12 lead, SUU battled, tying things up at 20. Kaitlyn Aleshire and Victoria Zibecchi played a big role in SUU coming back. Although SUU fought hard, two attack errors from SUU gave UT Arlington the set two win 25-20.
In set three, SUU kept things close to begin with but couldn’t keep up with the high powered offense of UT Arlington. The Mavericks won 25-21, giving UT Arlington the 3-0 sweep.
What’s next?
Southern Utah will return home to host California Baptist University on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 12:30 p.m. This game will be played in the America First Event Center or can be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Heather Turner
