Following losses to No. 17 Arizona and Arizona State, the University of Utah Volleyball team (10-18, 5-13 Pac-12) returned to Salt Lake City to take on the Washington Huskies and the No. 11 Washington State Cougars.
Washington Huskies
On Friday, the Utes took on the Washington Huskies for Military Appreciation Night. The two teams traded blows in the first set, swapping the first eight points. Building momentum, the Utes eventually began to pull away.
The Huskies slowly cut at the Utes’ lead, eventually tying the match at fourteen points. Despite the Huskies success, the Utes once again caught on fire. Scoring four straight and topping it off with a service ace from Kamryn Gibadlo, the Utes took the lead. They would go on to win the set 25-19.
Both teams traded the first ten points to start the second set. Tied at seven, the Utes produced a 3-0 run, taking the lead. The Utes continued to dominate, producing a substantial lead. In an impressive effort, the Huskies worked to cut the Utes’ large lead and tied the set. Back-to-back kills from Lauren Jardine regained the momentum for Utah. A kill by Lauren Jardine won the set for the Utes, 25-23. This would be one of Jardine’s 23 kills, a career-high.
In the third set, the Utes looked to complete their fifth sweep of the season. Wanting to prevent this, the Huskies started the set off strong. With Washington leading 4-1, the Utes were forced to call a timeout early. Following the timeout, the Utes were able to bring themselves back within one point. Later, another service ace from Lauren Jardine tied the set, 16-16. Tight competition further ensued, resulting in a 22-22 game late in the set. Washington then scored three straight, winning the set 25-22.
Washington led by three early in the fourth set, but the Utes quickly caught up. A block by Emrie Satuala gave the Utes their first lead in the set. From here, tight competition continued. Eventually, the Huskies began to find their stride, taking a four point lead. The Utes called a timeout, then responded, scoring four straight to tie the set at nineteen. The tide turned once again, as the Huskies created separation from the Utes. Despite the Utes’ best efforts, the Huskies won the set 25-22.
In the winner-gets-all fifth set, the Huskies scored six-straight early to take the lead. In absolute control, the Huskies looked to complete the reverse-sweep and win the match. Despite being down eight points, the Utes were able to find momentum late and bring themselves within three points of the Huskies’ lead. The Huskies were able to hold off the Utes though, winning the set 15-11. With the set win, the Huskies won the match, 3-2.
No. 11 Washington State
On Sunday, the No. 11 Washington State Cougars came into town to take on the Utes. The Cougars started the first set off, taking a quick 5-1 lead. The Utes worked their way back and an attack error tied the set at eleven. From here, the two teams continued to battle back-and-forth.
Tied 23-23 late in the set, the Cougars earned their first set-point opportunity. The Utes spoiled the Cougars’ attempt with a kill by Jardine. The Utes would then go on to prevent two more of the Cougars’ set-point opportunities, eventually tying the set at 26. Finally, a kill for the Cougars won the set 28-26.
Fierce competition continued into the second set, with the two teams finding themselves tied 4-4. Then, the Cougars found their stride and completed an 8-1 run. The Cougars continued to protect their lead and soon found themselves with the set-point opportunity. A service error earned the 25th point for the Cougars, ending the set 25-15.
Once again, the third set started off with tight-knit competition. With the set tied 7-7, both teams attempted to produce separation, but to no avail. Down one, the Cougars were able to produce a 4-0 scoring run to take the lead.
Down 16-20, the Utes were able to bring themselves within two points of the Cougars’ lead. Despite the Utes’ rally attempt, the Cougars soon found themselves with the match-point opportunity. A Cougars’ kill won the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.
Up Next
On Wednesday, the Utes will travel west to take on the Stanford Cardinal at 3:00 p.m. MST. This will be the Utes’ first match-up against Stanford this season. Then, on Friday, the Utes will return to Salt Lake City to take on the Colorado Buffaloes for Senior Night. The game will start at 3:00 p.m. MST and will be the final game of the season.
j.marriott@dailyutahchronicle.com
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