Coming off six straight losses, UVU’s volleyball team was able to turn things around and come home with a victory in a five-set match against Seattle University on Oct. 4.
After a strong 8-3 start to the season, the Wolverines seemed to lose their rhythm. It was particularly difficult as many of their recent defeats were nail-biters, with five of the last six coming down to the fifth set. The win against Seattle put their record at 9-9.
Leading the way to victory, sophomore Kristen Allred threw down an impressive 17 kills and 14 digs, and freshman Kazna Tarawhiti added another 16 kills and 11 digs. Sophomores Seren Merrill and Jaysa Stratton also ended in the double digits in digs, contributing 17 and 13, respectively.
During the opening set, neither team could quite pull ahead. As it neared its close, UVU and Seattle were tied at 24-24. However, after calling a timeout, the Redhawks were able to score the final two points to take the early series lead.
The second set started in similar fashion, with the score remaining close. Midway through, the Wolverines were able to start building up a lead and hold out to the finish, ending the set 25-21. In the third set, UVU had a solid start, scoring the first five points and, despite some back and forth, won again 25-21.
However, the next set, the Wolverines struggled from the start. Seattle jumped to an early 7-2 lead and never slowed down. The final score was 25-13.
With the game on the line, UVU was determined not to let the fifth set be their downfall again. After initially trailing 3-0, the Wolverines bounced back and scored the next seven. From there, they rode their lead until eventually coming out on top, 15-8.
The Wolverines hope to maintain their momentum as they head to Phoenix on Oct. 6 to play Grand Canyon University. GCU is coming off a six-game slide themselves and have an overall record of 7-9.
Photo credit: Johnny Morris
