Hosting Seattle U on Saturday afternoon, the Thunderbirds came away with a 3-0 victory to snap a six-match losing streak.
Set one began with a quick 4-0 start by SUU, and the T-birds would push their early advantage to seven (11-4). Down six after 20 points (13-7), the Redhawks answered with a 9-1 spurt to take a 16-14 lead. After back-to-back SUU points evened the score, the two sides traded points until it was 20-20. Southern Utah put together three straight points to take a 23-20 lead and closed out the set following a point from Seattle, winning 25-21 and taking a 1-0 match lead.
The T-birds held a slim lead early in set two (7-5), but a 6-1 spurt pushed their lead up to seven (13-6). Seattle U cut the deficit to three on multiple occasions in the set but could never get closer, as SUU would take the set 25-20 and hold a 2-0 match advantage heading into the third set.
With their backs against the wall, the Redhawks would take the early lead in set three (6-5). It wouldn’t last long, however, as a 4-0 run by the T-birds put the home team in front 9-6. After the teams traded the next three points, Southern Utah ripped off an 8-0 run to put the set out of reach (18-8). The Thunderbirds’ lead wouldn’t dip below seven the rest of the way as they closed out the set to win 24-17 and secure a 3-0 sweep.
Teniyah Leuluai led SUU in assists in the match, totaling 33. Finley Charapata added 15 kills for the T-birds as the team snapped a six-game slide.
Up next
SUU (9-14, 5-7 WAC) now travels to Texas for a pair of matches.
The T-birds will first face Tarleton State on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. MT. The match can be seen on ESPN+.
