By Spencer Rodak, Stadium Sportzz
With just four matches remaining in the regular season, the SUU volleyball team defeated Tarleton State in five sets on Thursday evening.
The start of set one was back-and-forth, as the two sides were even through 20 points (10-10). A 5-1 spurt put Tarleton State ahead 15-11, but the T-birds kept it close, cutting the deficit to two (17-15). SUU used a 6-1 run to jump ahead late (21-18), but a quick 3-0 answer from the Texans evened the score at 21. A 3-0 response from Southern Utah put them back in front 24-21, and the visitors held on for a 25-23 set win and a 1-0 match lead.
SUU jumped out to a 5-3 advantage in set two, extending its lead to five just moments later (11-6). The T-birds stayed in front for most of the set, making it 17-14 before Tarleton answered with three points to even the score at 17 all. The two teams remained deadlocked through 44 points (22-22), but the Thunderbirds used a 3-1 run to close the set out to win 25-23 and take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was close throughout, as the score was even through 36 points (18-18). With their backs against the wall, the Texans dug deep for a 7-1 run to win the set 25-19 and cut the SUU match lead to 2-1.
Southern Utah opened set four with a slim lead (7-6), but another 7-1 spurt from Tarleton State put the home team ahead 13-8. The T-birds weren’t able to get any closer than four from there (13-9), and Tarleton closed out the set for a 25-18 win to tie the match at 2-2.
In the deciding fifth set, Southern Utah ran out to a 7-2 lead. The Texans battled back to cut the SUU lead to two (9-7), but a 3-0 run from the visitors pushed the lead back to five (12-7). Tarleton State once again cut the advantage to two (12-10), but the T-birds tallied three of the final four points to win the set 15-11 and win the match 3-2.
Teniyah Leuluai recorded 47 assists in the victory, while Victoria Zibecchi added a team-high 16 kills.
Up next
Southern Utah (10-14, 6-7 WAC) remains in Texas for its next match, taking on Abilene Christian.
The T-birds and Wildcats will battle on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. MT. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.