The U of U volleyball team opened up conference play this past weekend. After a loss on Thursday at Colorado, the Utes rebounded Sunday afternoon at home against the California Golden Bears.
BYU
Before conference play started, the Utes faced two in-state rivals. They traveled south to Provo to take on the #10 ranked BYU Cougars on Sep 13th. BYU opened the first set with an 11-3 run that the Utes struggled to come back from. Kamry Bailey recorded two kills in four plays, but the Cougars’ lead was too much and they took the first set.
BYU started strong on set two as well, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Utah clawed back and slowly took control. A 6-1 run gave the Utes a 14-11 lead. Allie Olsen, Rianne Vos and Lauren Jardine all got kills during this run. The two rivals went back and forth throughout the rest of the set. With the score knotted at 23, Vos came up clutch with her fourth kill of the set. Utah scored on the ensuing play to win set two 25-23. Unfortunately, that was the only set Utah could get off of the #10 team in the nation. BYU won both of the following sets and won the game 3-1.
The Utes came home after the defeat and picked up a win against the Weber State Wildcats on Sep 15. Fans participated in Red Out night at the Huntsman Center and helped give Utah a nice win heading into Pac-12 play.
University of Colorado
Utah traveled to Boulder this past Thursday to take on the Colorado Buffaloes in the conference opener for both teams. Utah started off cold and fell into a 0-6 deficit in the first set. Despite Bailey and Kamryn Gibadlo each picking up multiple kills in the set, the Buffaloes grabbed a 1-0 lead in the game and kept it steady. Five quick kills helped Utah take an 8-5 lead in set two, but the Utes weren’t able to keep the momentum. Colorado pulled ahead 10-8 and after some back-and-forth action, the Buffaloes held on and took the second set as well.
Colorado took another quick lead in set three with an 11-2 run. With their backs against the wall, Utah fought back. Three kills from Jardine helped Utah cut the deficit down to 13-16. The Utes eventually tied the set at 22, but Colorado was able to go up 25-24. Gibadlo extended the game with an amazing kill. In a win-by-two situation, both teams struggled to close out the set. Back-to-back kills from Olsen and Emrie Satuala eventually gave Utah a 30-28 win in the set to cut the lead down to 1-2. After falling behind 14-17 in set four, Colorado scored 11 of the next 13 to win the set and seal the victory over the Utes.
California
The Utes returned to the Huntsman Center on Sunday to face the California Golden Bears. Utah started off hot, winning both of the first two sets. Jardine recorded kills on three plays in a row to give Utah the lead in set one. She finished with six kills in the set and an impressive 17 total for the game. The Utes steadily built a lead and took set one by a 25-17 score.
Cal jumped ahead in set two, but the Utes steadily came back. Another kill from Jardine gave Utah an 18-17 lead, their first since it was 1-0 early in the set. Satuala’s kill on the final play of the set gave Utah a 25-23 set two win and a 2-0 lead in the game. Utah had their opportunities to close out the game in the third set but were unable to. A Ute’s service ace tied it at 24, but Cal scored two in a row to take the set. The Golden Bears won set four as well by a 25-17 score, bringing the game to a decisive set five. Utah jumped ahead 7-3, but a 5-0 run gave Cal a 13-12 lead. With the fifth set being a first to 15 rather than 25, the Utes rallied off three in a row to win the game 3-2.
This upcoming weekend brings the Utes to Los Angeles, California. They will face USC on Friday night before heading across town to take on UCLA on Sunday afternoon.
