SAN LUIS OBISPO, Cali. – The No. 20 Utah Volleyball was pushed to their limits Saturday afternoon against St. Mary's, battling with the Gaels through five sets for a 3-2 win.
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The Utes got off to a fast start in the first set (25-21), but St. Mary's made it interesting in sets two and three (25-20, 25-20). Utah made a comeback in set four (25-23) and finished the job in set five, getting to 15 first, (15-5).
SET ONE
St. Mary's jumped to 8-0 lead, but Utah scored four straight to make it and 8-4 affair early in the set.
Utah gets within one on a
Kamryn Gibadlo ace and later ties game 11-11 on
Langley Griffin kill.
Allie Grossenbach gave the Utes the lead, 12-11, which Utah never relented taking the first set 25-21.
SET TWO
Much like the first set, St. Mary's jumped out to an early lead, 8-3.
Grossenbach and
Emrie Moea'i attempted to get the Utes back on track with three kills between the two, 12-6. An
Iliana Linahan ace and Moea'i block a little later get the Utes within three, 12-9, but despite Utah's best efforts, the Gaels force at the very least a fourth set, 25-20.
SET THREE
Set three started tight with the Utes taking a one-point lead after a Moea'i ace, 6-5.
Utah and St. Mary's continued to go back-and-forth through the third set racking up eight ties and five lead changes before the Utes took a 15-13 lead.
St. Mary's eventually regained control of the set, winning it, 25-20.
SET FOUR
It was Utah's turn to jump out to a quick start in the fourth set, 5-2, aided largely by four St. Mary's errors in a row.
Utah continued to build a lead forcing a Gaels timeout, 12-6.
Four straight errors by the Utes opened the door for St. Mary's to make it a two-point game, 16-14. Utah hung tight however, and forced set five, 25-23.
SET FIVE
The Utes came out strong against the Gaels to start set five, 4-1
Utah rattled off five scores in a row (two errors from the Gaels, and three kills from
Levani Key-Powell, Gibadlo, and Moea'i) forcing a St. Mary's timeout, 9-3.
Led by a Key-Powell ace, the Utes finished the job and took the match, 15-5.
STANDOUT STATS
- Utes Total Stats: 62 kills, six service aces, 15 blocks, 46 digs.
- Gibadlo led the Utes in kills (19), total attempts (50) which was also a career-high for the outside hitter.
- Moea'i was second in kills (16), posted the best hitting percentage of the day (.375) and posted a team-high in blocks (9).
- Wilton-LaBoy was the assists leader (45) and McKenna Payne earned the team-high in digs (12).
UP NEXT
Utah turns their attention to Big 12 Conference play, hosting Iowa State on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. MT for '90s Night, and welcoming Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. MT for Youth Day and the Kid's Clinic.
Both games will be available on ESPN+.
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