The University of Utah volleyball team (8-8, 3-3 Pac-12) hosted Oregon’s schools this past weekend. After picking up a win against Oregon State on Friday, the Utes were defeated by the University of Oregon on Sunday.
Oregon State
It was MUSS Appreciation night at the Huntsman Center on Friday as the Utes took on the Oregon State Beavers. After falling behind early in the first set, an ace from Viktoria Wahlgren tied it at 11. Neither team could build much of a lead moving forward. Emrie Satuala’s fourth kill of the set brought the score to 23-24, but the Utes were not able to tie it up. Oregon State finished off the set on the following play and picked up a 1-0 lead.
Utah went on a 4-0 run in set two to lead 8-4, but the Beavers scored four in a row to tie it back up. These two teams went back and forth again for most of the set. Trailing 15-16, the Utes scored four in a row to take the lead. They finished the set on a 10-2 run overall to tie the game at one set apiece.
Utah’s momentum carried over into set three, as the Utes took a quick 6-1 lead, aided by three straight attack errors. The Utes kept a steady lead throughout the set despite some threats from Oregon State. Kamryn Gibadlo and Kamry Bailey each picked up three kills in the set. Satuala, Bailey and Allie Olsen all had three blocks as well.
The Utes never let off the gas in this game. Another hot start in set four saw Utah up 15-5 at one point. It was all Utes as they ended up winning the set 25-15 and winning the game 3-1. Bailey finished with 17 kills. Wahlgren led the team with 25 assists, and Vanessa Ramirez picked up 14 digs as well.
University of Oregon
Utah got back into action on Sunday afternoon against the No. 5 Oregon Ducks. Oregon took control of set one. The Ducks built a lead early and held on throughout the set. A 3-0 run cut Oregon’s lead down to 19-15, but that was as close as the Utes got. Oregon won the set 25-16. Bailey tallied four kills in the set.
Utah responded very well in set two. Three quick kills from Satuala helped the Utes take a 6-4 lead. A bit later, Utah went on a 4-0 run and led the set 13-8. This lead never went away. Oregon scored three in a row to cut the lead down to 22-19, but Utah scored three of the next five points to secure set two and tie the game 1-1. A kill from Bailey finished it off, her second in the set. It was a team effort with the Utes getting contributions from a lot of different players throughout set two.
The Ducks steadily built a lead throughout a back-and-forth set three. There were no big runs for either side. Back-to-back kills from Gibadlo brought the Utes to within five at 13-18, but Oregon shut the door after that and won the set 25-17. Gibadlo finished the set with three kills and Satuala finished with five. Oregon jumped out to a 10-4 lead in set four and was in control the entire way, winning the set 25-16 and securing a 3-1 victory over the Utes. Satuala continued her strong sophomore season with 11 total kills to lead the team.
This upcoming weekend brings the Utes to the Pacific Northwest. They will face the No. 4 Washington State Cougars on Friday night in Pullman before heading to Seattle on Sunday to take on the Washington Huskies.
