MIAMI, Fla. — Utah Beach Volleyball battled through tough competition in a pair of ranked matchups on Friday, facing No. 12 Florida Atlantic University, and No. 17 Florida International University. Both matches ended with Utah falling 4-1 and the Utes will have two opportunities to bounce back tomorrow.
Against No. 12 FAU,
Kylie Pitzak and
Ellyn Collins secured the lone win for the Utes with a strong 22-20, 21-14 victory.
Langley Griffin and
Bella Vezzani pushed their match to three sets but were edged out in the final frame, while
Sonja Wessel and
Elle Burleson also forced a third set before coming up just short.
Katie McAlister and
Quincy Stephens, as well as
Lauren Sayre and
Maeve Griffin, put up a fight but were unable to come away with wins.
The Utes faced then faced No. 17 FIU. The first result came from
Katie McAlister and
Quincy Stephens where they were defeated in two sets (17-21, 18-21).
Langley Griffin and
Bella Vezzani came out on top, winning in straight sets (21-19, 21-16), securing the lone victory of the match for Utah. The pairing of
Sonja Wessel and
Maeve Griffin were defeated in straight sets (17-21, 17-21). The next result came from the duo of
Lauren Sayre and
Chloe Narancich, where they lost in two sets (19-21, 17-21).
Kylie Pitzak and
Ellyn Collins were the last match to conclude, as the duo pushed FIU to a third set after losing the frist 21-16. The pairing fell short despite a strong push, losing the third set 8-15.
Utah Beach Volleyball will be looking to regain their momentum after facing two ranked opponents and they will be back in action on Saturday. The Utes are set to face-off against Southern Mississippi at 6:00 AM (MST) and Palm Beach Atlantic at 8:00 AM (MST).
FINAL RESULTS
No. 12 FAU 4, Utah 1
- Ashleigh Adams/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. Katie McAlister/Quincy Stephens (UTAH) 21-11, 21-18
- Klaire VanDeusen/Julie Honzovicova (FAU) def. Langley Griffin/Bella Vezzani (UTAH) 22-20, 17-21, 15-12
- Kylie Pitzak/Ellyn Collins (UTAH) def. Kate McLaughlin/Kendall Mignerey (FAU) 22-20, 21-14
- Kate Stoughton/Shantel Starling (FAU) def. Lauren Sayre/Maeve Griffin (UTAH) 21-14, 21-18
- Olivia Strandberg/Shayna Wolf (FAU) def. Sonja Wessel/Elle Burleson (UTAH) 21-14, 15-21, 15-8
No. 17 FIU 4, Utah 1
- Maria Sanchez/Ella Gray (FIU) def. Katie McAlister/Quincy Stephens (UTAH) 17-21, 18-21
- Langley Griffin/Bella Vezzani (UTAH) def. Julia Panko/Ola Chudzik (FIU) 21-19, 21-16
- Arianna Franklin/Sofie Vogel (FIU) def. Kylie Pitzak/Ellyn Collins (UTAH) 16-21, 21-16, 8-15
- Katarina Drodz/Brianna Luoma (FIU) def. Sonja Wessel/Maeve Griffin (UTAH) 17-21, 17-21
- Zoe Cahill/Kendra Brown (FIU) def. Lauren Sayre/Chloe Narancich (UTAH) 19-21, 17-21
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