The SUU volleyball team ended the week with a Saturday afternoon match and recorded a second consecutive straight-sets victory to improve to 2-0 in WAC play.
Opening the set, Abilene Christian notched four of the first five points and continued to hold a slim lead until the first media timeout, 15-12. Southern Utah gained momentum following the break, using a 9-6 spurt to tie the set at 21. Following a quick two points for the Wildcats, the T-birds answered with two points of their own to tie the score once again (23-23). Abilene edged ahead by stealing the next point, but SUU recorded the final three points of the set to win 26-24 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Set number two was nearly identical to the first, with the Wildcats jumping out to a 15-11 advantage. The T-birds got within one using a 3-0 spurt, and a pair of 4-0 runs in the following moments put SUU ahead 24-21. Abilene Christian notched the next point to get within two, but Southern Utah slammed the door with the final point of the set, winning 25-22 and taking a 2-0 match lead.
Unlike the first pair of sets, the T-birds started the third frame hot, taking an 8-2 lead early. The Wildcats clawed back into the set, cutting the home team’s lead to just one at 17-16. A 3-0 spurt from SUU made the score 20-16, but ACU hung around to make it 24-23 a few points later. The T-birds once again closed the door, tallying the final point of the set to win 25-23 and secure a 3-0 match sweep.
Teniyah Leuluai led the way in assists for SUU, racking up 44. Carissa Richie added a team-high 14 kills as the T-birds began Western Athletic Conference action 2-0.
Up next
Southern Utah (6-7, 2-0 WAC) looks to continue its winning start to conference play with a road match at UT Arlington next.
The T-birds will battle the Mavericks on Thursday, October 3, with a start time slated for 5 p.m. MT. The match can be seen on ESPN+.
