Kenzie Jones, Sports Editor, @KenzieScribbler
In their second match of the La Quinta Inn & Suites Invitational the Utah Valley volleyball team outlasted UC Riverside. The match went into 5 sets Saturday afternoon and UVU came out on top with set scores of 25-14, 24-26, 17-25, 25-18, 15-13.
Early in the opening UCR had UVU trailing behind with the score being 6-5. The Wolverines pulled together a 4-0 run to take the lead at 9-6. Later UVU reeled off eight straight points to take a commanding 23-12 lead. Not to long after UVU quickly closed the set off a couple of points later via a block assist from Madison Wolford and Macky Treanor.
UC Riverside was down 15-13 in the second set before they scored six of the next seven points and brought the score up to 19-16. Maddie Hubbell and Sarah Bruchet provided service aces while Fabiana Rosas and Alex Gresham had kills, all of which brought the energy for the rally. It was looking like UCR had control of the set, leading 24-21, when UVU scored three straight to bring around a tie at 24-all. The Highlanders utilized back-to-back kills from Rossas to secure the set win.
The third set started almost mirroring the first with a volleying score and six ties up through 8-8. Unlike the first UC Riverside were the once to take control of the set but opening up a seven point lead, 21-14, that sparked the set win.
The Wolverines commanded the court after dropping the second and third sets by taking a prestigious 10-1 lead early in the the fourth. Trying to play just as strongly as they had in the past two sets UCR managed to cut the deficit to four. The Wolverines didn’t allow the Highlanders to get any closer then that as UVU took the fourth and tied the match at 2-2.
The Wolverine’s momentum carried over into the final set as they took a strong and early advantage of 7-2. The Highlanders countered back by scoring five of the next six scored in the set which pulled them to with in one. The score volleyed back and forth from there and had the fans on the edge of their seats. UVU laid claim to the last three points of the with McKenna Tait drilling home a beautiful ace on the last point. UVU took the fifth set and the match as the ball bounce from the force of that last ace of the game.
The lady Wolverines take the court tonight at 7:00p.m. MT as they close the Invitational by facing off against Portland.
