The Utah Valley volleyball team fell on the road against GCU 3-0 Saturday. The Wolverines end the season on a three-game skid and finish 16-10. They will go into the WAC Volleyball Tournament as the No. 4 overall seed.
Kalea Kennedy led the Wolverines offensively with nine kills and Natalie Palmer led the Wolverines with 18 assists. On the defensive side, Kennedy and Caleigh Vagana had two blocks each and Bryton Nixon led the Wolverines with 18 digs.
The first set was all GCU as the Wolverines fell into an early 5-1 deficit. The Lopes went on three separate 3-0 runs and claimed a commanding 21-13 lead. The Wolverines attempted to battle back, utilizing a 3-0 run of their own to bring the score to 21-16, however, the Lopes would finish off the set, taking a 1-0 lead with a 25-18 score in the first period.
GCU again jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the second set, however, the Wolverines battled back and took a 13-10 lead. Multiple attack errors by the Wolverines knotted the score at 19, where the Lopes would then dominate the rest of the set, scoring six straight unanswered poitns and winning the second set 25-19.
In the third and final set, a kill by Kennedy sparked a 5-0 run for the Wolverines to claim a 12-8 lead. After leading 16-13, the Wolverines conceded a 6-0 run and trailed 19-16. Another 3-0 from GCU leading 21-18 would put this set and the match out of reach for the Wolverines as they fell in the third set 25-19.
As the Wolverines regular season concludes, the WAC Volleyball Tournament schedule was announced. UVU will face No. 5 seed UT Arlington on Thursday. The match tips off at 3 p.m. MT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
