Following two road losses to the Washington schools, the University of Utah volleyball team (9-11, 4-6 Pac-12) returned to Salt Lake City to take on the No. 17 Arizona State Sun Devils and the University of Arizona Wildcats.
Arizona State
The Utes and the Sun Devils started the first set off with tight competition. Tied 4-4, the Sun Devils found their stride and went on a 5-0 run to take the lead. Once the Sun Devils took the lead, they never let go, riding their momentum to a 25-11 first-set win.
The second set was fiercely competitive, with the two teams trading the first 18 points. Once again, the Sun Devils got hot, going on a 4-0 run to take the lead. Dominating the second half of the set, the Sun Devils continued their outstanding offensive performance. Arizona State went on to win the set, 25-16.
Winning the first two sets, Arizona State looked to seal the deal and complete the three-set sweep over the Utes. Not willing to let that happen, the Utes started off the third set red hot. Utah went on a 6-0 scoring streak to take the early lead in the set.
Being down seven points at one time in the set, the Sun Devils made a tremendous comeback. Their newly found momentum propelled them to a 25-22 victory, completing the 3-0 sweep over the Utes.
Amelia Van Der Werff led the Utes in kills, with seven, and Grace Hammond recorded 17 assists.
Arizona
The Utes started the first set hot, with Emily Smith earning two service aces. Using this momentum, the Utes went on a 5-0 run to take the early lead. The Wildcats slowly built momentum as they continued to find their stride. Riding this momentum, Arizona found themselves within a point of the Utes’ lead.
Despite the pressure, the Utes continued to play strong. The Utes produced another 4-0 run, to stretch their lead to four points. Kamryn Gibadlo recorded a late kill to set up the set-point opportunity for the Utes. A service error from the Wildcats gave the Utes the final point of the set and the first set of the match, 25-17.
To start the second set, the Utes and Wildcats traded the first 10 points. With Arizona finding their stride, they took a three-point lead and forced the Utes to use a timeout. It didn’t take long for the Utes to find their footing, completing a 5-0 run, and tying the game once again.
Viktoria Wahlgren assisted Emrie Satuala’s late block, which extended the Utes’ lead to four. A kill by Allie Olsen converted the set point, winning the set for the Utes, 25-17.
The Wildcats took an early lead in the third set as they looked to avoid the sweep. Sofia Maldonado Diaz converted her third kill of the set, moving the Wildcat lead to six points. Satuala converted six kills during the set while the Utes attempted to complete a comeback. Despite the Utes’ best efforts, the Wildcats won the set, 25-14.
Arizona’s momentum carried into the fourth set, as they quickly took a 6-2 lead. Coming out of a timeout, the Utes worked to chip away at the Wildcat lead. Then, a critical successful challenge by the Utes produced a 12-13 game. Arizona then went on a 5-1 scoring streak, looking to extend the game to a fifth set.
Following Utah’s second timeout, the Utes worked to cut the Wildcats’ lead to one. A service ace from Smith tied the game at 19. Arizona foiled Utah’s comeback plans, going on a 6-1 run to win the fourth set, 25-20.
Looking to complete the reverse sweep, Arizona quickly took a 5-2 lead in the fifth set. Then, the Utes scored three points to tie the game at five. The teams remained neck-and-neck with each other until late in the set. The Utes eventually found themselves up 14-12, looking to score the match-winning point. Vanessa Ramirez converted a service ace to score the final point, winning the set 15-12 and the match 3-2. This win snaps the Utes’ four-game losing streak.
Next Up
This week, the Utes will stay in Salt Lake for two home games. Utah will play UCLA on Friday night for the Freaky-Friday Halloween game. Then, the USC Trojans will come into town to take on the Utes for Super Sunday.
