Volleyball Win’s on Day One of BYU Invite

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Kenzie Jones, Sports Editor, @KenzieScribbler

The Utah Valley Wolverines defeat the UMBC Retrievers in straight sets on Friday afternoon. The match marked day one and the only games of the night for both teams in the BYU Invitational that continues on to Saturday.

The game opened up with UMBC’s Sherelle Walker getting the scoring started with a kill. After that neither team could get a solid lead with the score volleying back and forth between the sides. It wasn’t until the Retrievers managed a three point run, putting the score at 8-5, that the set looked to be going anywhere. The lead didn’t hold for long as UVU battled back and eventually turned the side with three straight kills. The set was finished off by Kalani Norris and Nakisha Willden guiding the win to the Wolverines with a set score of 28-26.

The second set saw the Retrievers jumping out ahead with a pair of kills by Abbie Mirabella and Ivana Kostic. The pattern of the first set poked appeared again as both teams traded runs for the lead. Eventually UVU took control of the set with a run that lead to the score becoming 16-12. UMBC retaliated fighting and brought the set to a tie at 18-all. After a Utah Vally timeout the Wolverines came back and earned the second win of 25-18.

The Wolverines got out fast in the third with a 3-0 lead and established a pattern for the set.  After UMBC hit the court with as much gusto and found the tie neither team managed more then a three point lead. Then late in the set the Retrievers made a strong push, aided by a trio of UVU errors, and brought the score to 23-21. However the lady Wolverines didn’t let the errors shake them and kept their heads in the game bringing about an end to the mach with a 25-22 set win.

The Washington is up next to face the lady Wolverines in the tournament on Saturday morning at 10:00a.m. MT.