UVU Fell Against Utah at NCAA First Round
Courtesy Kevin Lucas, gouvu.com
PROVO, Utah – Utah Valley dropped a hard-fought match to in-state rival #16 Utah, 3-1 (16-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-11) at Smith Fieldhouse in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. With the loss, UVU finishes its historic season with a record of 16-13 as the Utes advance to the next round.
Kendra Nock and Kristen Bell started the match off with a block as UVU got out to an early 5-3 lead. Utah ripped off an 8-1 run to take the lead, 11-6, but Bell sparked a 6-1 run to tie the set up at 12-12. The Utes countered with a 5-1 run, regaining the lead, 17-13. Kazna Tanuvasa led a 3-1 run, but Utah finished the set on a 7-0 run to take the first set, 25-16.
A pair of aces by Bryton Bishop helped the Wolverines take a 7-3 advantage in the second set. The Utes chipped away at the lead, cutting the UVU lead down to 10-8. Sadie Hamson extended the Utah Valley to 12-8, but Utah used a 6-2 surge to tie the set up at 14-14. Hamson and Kalea Kennedy sparked a 5-2 run to push the lead back out to 19-16, but three straight points by Utah knotted the set up at 19 apiece. Tori Dorius hammered home a pair of kills to put UVU up 24-22 before Bell hit the final kill, giving the Wolverines the set, 25-22, to tie the match up at 1-1.
Both teams battled back and forth to start the third set as Utah Valley clung to a 6-5 lead. The Utes ripped off a 6-1 run to take the lead, 11-7, Nocked sparked a 3-0 UVU run to pull the Wolverines to 11-10. Following a 3-0 run by Utah, Dorius and Tanuvasa led a 4-2 run to cut the deficit to 16-14. The Utes pulled away down the stretch, using an 8-2 run to get to set point. Utah Valley scored three-straight points to cut into the lead but Utah was able to get the final point, securing the set, 25-19, to go up 2-1.
Utah took advantage of several UVU errors in the early going of the third set to go up 14-4. The Wolverines played the Utes even over the next eight points but were unable to challenge from there as Utah took the fourth set, 25-11, to win the match, 3-1.
Dorius led the Wolverines with 13 kills and a pair of blocks. Tanuvasa finished with nine kills while Bell added seven kills and four digs. Nock had a team-high six blocks to go along with five kills and Hamson tallied five kills. Abbie Miller chipped in 17 assists and six digs and Bishop finished with 11 digs and a pair of aces. Natalie Palmer added 15 assists, eight digs and an ace, putting her second in aces among freshman in a single season in UVU history.