UVU Volleyball sweeps SUU, clinches playoff spot
Reading Time: 2 minutes UVU defeated SUU in straight sets, clinching their WAC playoff berthahead of senior day against rival Utah Tech.
Utah Valley Women’s Volleyball team steamrolled Southern Utah in three straight sets (25-20, 25-15, 25-16) and moved to 7-8 in conference play clinched a playoff berth.
Once again, a monster night from Tori Ellis propelled the Wolverines to a smooth victory against the Thunderbirds.
The first set was a dogfight with both teams trading points from start to finish, both teams would fail to find a substantial lead for the entire set, as consistent offense was not difficult to come by in this first set.
Ellis and Avery Shewell would thrive, giving the Wolverines a slim advantage, taking a two point lead going into the final stretch of the set. However, a string of UVU errors would bring the Thunderbirds right back, as they would tie the set up at 19 apiece.
Fortunately, a 4-0 Wolverine run highlighted by two Hailey Cuff aces would put the set out of reach for good, as Utah Valley would win a tough first set 25-20.
The second set is when UVU’s dominance would become paramount, with the Wolverines taking a commanding lead early on, on the back of kills by Cuff and Caleigh Vagana.
From here the Wolverines wouldn’t look back taking a seven point lead by the middle of the set. One of the biggest contributors to this dominance was excellent defensive play by Utah Valley, after the first set the Wolverines locked in on the defensive front. With their attacks so potent, it made it hard for the Thunderbirds to get anything going on their end, with frequent SUU errors contributing even more to the lead.
From there the Wolverines would cruise to a dominant 25-15 set victory, setting them up to close the game out in the third and final set.
In the third set the Wolverines would look just as assertive. Jumping out to a monster 7-2 lead on the back of kills by Ellis and Cuff, and this lead would stay large for the rest of the set, with Abby Medeiros making her usual contribution with 22 assists on the game. UVU would finish the game off with a commanding 25-16 set victory.
UVU looked phenomenal tonight, truly firing on all cylinders versus an admittedly very bad Southern Utah team, hopefully this game gives the team the confidence they need to win an important Senior Night game at home against Utah Tech this Saturday Nov. 11 at 1:00 PM. This game will be broadcast on ESPN+.