The Utah Utes volleyball team played their final home matches of the season this Thursday and Sunday against their Oregon-based rivals. The Utes celebrated their seniors on Sunday as they will finish the rest of their regular season away from home.

Thursday

Opening the first set against the Oregon State Beavers, the Utes built a 15-8 lead early. Amelia Van Der Werff helped the Utes push their lead to an eventual 22-13, but the Beavers then put together a 6-1 run to tighten the Utes lead to just 23-19. KJ Burgess and Vanessa Ramirez then stepped up to finish off the set for the Utes with a final score of 25-19.

To open up the second set, the Beavers managed to put together a 4-0 run to take a 14-11 lead over the Utes. Oregon State continued to build up its lead over the Utes until it was 18-14. The Utes then tied up the set with a 4-0 run, but another 4-0 run later in the set for Oregon State gave them a 23-20 lead. The Utes went on a 2-0 run to tighten the lead to just 23-22, but two kills in a row for the Beavers gave them the victory for the set with a final score of 25-22, tying the match at 1 set apiece.

The third set was rough for the Utes. They found themselves trailing 16-5, and the Beavers then went on a 5-1 run to take a 21-6 lead. The Utes managed an 8-2 run to show life, but it was too little, too late as the Beavers won the third set 25-14 and took a 2-1 match lead.

The Utes, facing elimination, managed to take a 10-2 lead early in the set with their backs against the wall. The Beavers stepped up though and eventually a 5-0 run helped them tighten the Utes lead to just 16-15. Utah then went on a run though, eventually taking a 24-9 lead and earning a set point. An attack error from Oregon State sealed the deal, as the Utes won the set 25-20 and tied up the match at two sets a piece.

The Utes found themselves down 10-9 early in the final set. They were able to earn consecutive points later though, taking a 12-11 lead late in the set. The two teams went back and forth until the score was 13-12. The Utes finished the set clutch, as Madelyn Robinson and Allie Olsen both earned blocks to give the Utes a 15-12 set victory, winning the match 3-2.

Sunday

The Utes came into their final home match of the season against Oregon with momentum, as they recognized fifth year seniors Robinson and Megan Yett along with senior Emily Smith.

To kick off their final home match of the season, the Utes found themselves down 8-5 to the Oregon Ducks early. Oregon put together a 5-1 run later in the set to take a 15-9 lead. The Utes kept fighting hard, but the deficit was too much to overcome as Oregon eventually earned victory with a final score of 25-16, taking a 1-0 match lead.

The Utes quickly collected themselves in the second set, using a 5-1 to take an 11-7 lead over the Ducks. The two teams went back and forth until Utah found itself up 19-14. The Utes built that lead to 21-16, but a 5-0 run from Oregon tied up the set at 21 apiece late in the set. Smith was able to earn a kill and a service ace, which was followed by a Lauren Jardine kill to earn the Utes set point. Van Der Werff finished the set up with a kill, giving the Utes a 25-22 victory.

The third set was back and forth throughout. The Utes managed to take a 17-13 lead late in the set, but a dominant 9-2 run by Oregon gave them a 22-19 lead over Utah. The Utes kept fighting hard late in the set, but Oregon put together a 3-1 run to finish the set which gave them a 25-22 set victory, with a 2-1 match lead.

The teams again fought hard in the fourth set, as the Utes were at risk of playing their final set of their home season. Oregon found themselves winning 15-10 midway through the set. Both teams put together 4-0 runs to lead to an Oregon 19-14 lead. Oregon put together another 5-1 run later to take the 24-16 lead and match point. Utah managed two points, but ultimately Oregon earned a kill to take the 25-18 set victory and the 3-1 match victory.

Looking Ahead

While the Utes were hoping for a different result in their final home match of the season, they still have two regular season matches to compete in. They will travel up north this coming weekend, facing Washington State on Friday, Nov. 18 and Washington on Sunday, Nov. 20.

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