ARLINGTON, Texas – Traveling to face the defending WAC champions, the Southern Utah volleyball team fell 3-0 at UT Arlington on Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks would open the first set with a 5-1 lead, but the T-birds would cut the lead to three just a few points later (8-5). UT Arlington would stay in front, however, highlighted by a 6-0 run that gave them a 12-point advantage (24-12). SUU would notch the next point, but UTA closed out the set on the next one to win 25-13 and take a 1-0 match lead.
Set two was close early, as the Mavericks held a slight 8-6 lead. SUU would hang close, and trailing 20-16 would notch four straight points to tie the score. UT Arlington would respond with a 5-0 run to win the set 25-20 and take a 2-0 match lead.
Southern Utah would take an early 5-4 lead in set three, but a 4-0 spurt from the Mavericks gave them the 8-5 lead. Moments later, a 6-0 run by UTA made it 19-11, seemingly putting the set out of reach. The T-birds would respond with an 8-1 run to cut the deficit to 23-21, but UT Arlington would score the final two points to win the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.
The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 1-12 overall and 0-2 in WAC play.
Up next
Southern Utah (1-12, 0-2 WAC) returns to Cedar City for a matchup with Cal Baptist on Saturday, Oct. 4.
First serve is slated for 12:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
