ABILENE, Texas – Two rivals battled in the WAC Volleyball Tournament on Thursday, and it would be Utah Tech that claimed a 3-1 victory to move on and end Southern Utah’s season.
The Thunderbirds began the match with an 8-2 advantage, but the Trailblazers would slowly chip away. Thanks to a pair of 3-0 spurts, Utah Tech would cut the deficit to one midway through the first set (12-11). A 4-1 run by SUU pushed their lead back to four (16-12), but back-to-back Trailblazer points made it 16-14. Three straight T-bird points made it a five-point set (19-14), but a 6-0 answer by Utah Tech gave them their first lead, 20-19. Southern Utah would record six of the next eight points, however, taking the set 25-22 to take a 1-0 match lead.
Set two was close early, as the Trailblazers led by just one, 5-4. Utah Tech would then rip off a 12-1 run, taking a commanding 17-5 lead. SUU would trim the deficit down to 11 (18-7), but Utah Tech ended the set on a 7-1 spurt to take the set 25-8 and even the match at 1-1.
The third set was again even early, as the Trailblazers led 7-6. Two straight points pushed the Utah Tech lead to three (9-6), but Southern Utah answered with a 5-1 run to take the lead, 11-10. Both sides went back and forth, and SUU held a slim 20-19 lead late, before a 6-1 run by the Trailblazers to end the set gave them a 25-21 set win and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Utah Tech took a 9-4 lead to start set four, but four points in six from Southern Utah cut the deficit to 11-8. The Trailblazers then found a quick 4-0 run to get ahead 15-8, but a 3-0 response by the T-birds kept them within striking distance, 15-11. Utah Tech would push its advantage to six (18-12), but SUU would take the next point to make it a five-point set. That would prove to be the final point of the season for the Thunderbirds, as the Trailblazers finished the set on a 7-0 run to win 25-13 and take the match 3-1.
Tessa Treanor and Nana Asiata each tallied 12 kills to lead Utah Tech, while Marly Roe added a match-high 26 assists. Mya Laufiso added a game-best 26 digs, and Treanor led Utah Tech in points with 16.
Victoria Zibecchi and Addyson McArthur both totaled a team-high 10 kills for SUU, while Zibecchi also led the squad in points (13). Aleeya Jones led the team in digs with 16 and Asya Akbulut tallied a team-high 20 assists.
With the win, the Trailblazers improve to 20-5 on the season and move on in the WAC Tournament.
The victory was not only the first Division I conference tournament win in program history for Utah Tech, but it also gave them 20 wins in a season for the first time since 2019.
The loss was the third of the season for Southern Utah against their rivals, as the Thunderbirds end the 2025 campaign with a 3-21 record.
WAC honors announced
A day before tournament action began, the Western Athletic Conference announced the 2025 season award winners.
Utah Tech head coach Camilla Hafoka was named the WAC Coach of the Year after guiding the team to a share of the regular season championship, and senior middle blocker Casidy Fried was chosen on the All-WAC First Team.
Senior outside hitter Kennedi Knudsen and senior middle blocker Taylor Snow were both named to the Second Team, while setter Tehanie Waters was an All-Freshman Team pick.
For Southern Utah, outside hitter Kaitlyn Hoelker was chosen as a member of the All-WAC Freshman Team.
Up next: Utah Tech
Utah Tech (20-5) will face the third-seed Tarleton State on Friday, Nov. 21, in the WAC Tournament semifinals.
The Trailblazers and Texans will battle for a spot in the championship game at 3 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
