The Utah Valley women’s volleyball team took a 3-1 victory over the Northeastern University Howlin’ Huskies on Saturday, Sep. 10, at the Cabot Center in Boston, Massachusetts. After losing set one 25-17, the Wolverines went on to win the next three sets to come up with the win. The win marks their fifth-straight after an 0-3 start to put them at 5-3 on the season.
The Wolverines currently sit at eighth place in the WAC standings.
UVU had a dominant outing as a team, outscoring the Huskies 72-59 overall. The Wolverines also lead in kills 60-45, blocks seven to six, assists 56 to 44, and digs 43 to 38.
Kazna Tanuvasa led way for the Wolverines, tallying 16 kills, three blocks, and four digs. Avery Shewell and Tori Dorius followed with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Chloie Brinton led the Wolverines in service aces with two, Jules Fink led in blocks with five, Natalie Palmer led in assists with 26 (Abbie Miller had 24 as well), and Bryton Nixon led in digs with 17.
The first set got off to a rocky start for the Wolverines after the Huskies opened on a 6-2 run. The Wolverines quickly climbed back within two after kills from Dorius and Shewell. The Wolverines would continue to stay within five or fewer points of the Huskies until the Huskies went on a 4-0 run following a 16-14 lead to go up 20-14.
The Wolverines tried to battle back with a 3-2 run highlighted by kills from Shewell and Kalea Kennedy, but it was to no avail as the Huskies finished the set off with a 3-0 run to win 25-17.
The second set began more back-and-forth with the Huskies getting out to a 4-3 lead over the Wolverines early. However, the Wolverines would fight back with a 10-1 run, led by Kennedy with four kills and Makayla Broadbent with two.
The Huskies responded with a 3-0 run but that wasn’t enough as UVU went on a 9-2 run to lead 22-10. The Wolverines would then battle out the remaining three points they needed for a 25-14 set victory, evening the match 1-1.
The third set also began with both teams battling hard into an 8-8 start. The Wolverines would again erupt for a quick 6-0 run, with two points coming from Miller, to lead 14-8. However, the Huskies responded this time around with a 9-2 run to retake the lead 17-16.
The Wolverines then used back-to-back errors, a service ace, and three-straight kills to jump on another 6-0 run and commandeer a 22-17 lead. The Huskies had no response as both teams would bounce back and forth to win the set 25-20 and create a 2-1 advantage overall in the match.
The fourth set was a set scored in numerous runs as the set began with each team having four 2-0 runs until the game was tied 10-10. The Wolverines then went on a 5-1 run after using a combination of attack errors, a service ace, and a pair of kills to lead 15-11.
The Huskies weren’t giving up yet as they proceeded to go on a 6-2 run to tie the game 17-17. Shewell broke the Huskies’ run and the Wolverines bounced back with a 4-0 run to lead 21-17.
However, the Huskies again clawed their way back within one after a 5-2 run to cut the Wolverine lead to 23-22. Tanuvasa broke the run with a kill to put UVU up 24-22. After Huskies responded with another kill, Tanuvasa lasered the game-winning kill to allow the Wolverines to escape the set with a 25-23 victory and the match with a 3-1 win.
Since the start of the win streak, the Wolverines haven’t allowed an opponent to win more than one set in a match, bolstering a 15-4 set record in the last five games.
The Wolverines now travel to Logan, Utah to take on in-state rival Utah State to conclude their road trip on Tuesday, Sep. 13, at the Wayne Estes Center. The match starts at 7 p.m. MT and can be streamed on the MountainWest Network.
