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Utah Tech University Athletics

VB 2021 - SUU Recap 1
Breanna Biorato - DSU Athletics
2
Dixie St. Dixie 0-7,0-0 WAC
3
Winner Southern Utah SUU 4-7,0-0 Big Sky
Dixie St. Dixie
0-7,0-0 WAC
2
Final
3
Southern Utah SUU
4-7,0-0 Big Sky
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Dixie St. Dixie 19 20 25 25 19 (2)
Southern Utah SUU 25 25 20 19 21 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | By DSU Athletics Media Relations

Trailblazers drop five-set heartbreaker to Southern Utah

The Dixie State volleyball team fell in heartbreaking fashion in five sets (19-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 19-21) to Southern Utah on Friday at the America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah.
 
The first of two consecutive matches between the Trailblazers (0-7) and the Thunderbirds (4-7) was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride as Southern Utah sprinted to a 2-0 lead with a 25-19 win in the first set and a 25-20 victory in the second.
 
The Thunderbirds looked to close out the match in three sets, and raced to a 6-1 advantage in the third. With their backs against the wall, the Trailblazers came to life and used a 14-7 run to build a 15-13 advantage.  SUU countered with a quick 3-0 run to retake a 16-15 lead, but DSU responded by scoring 10 of the next 14 points to claim a 25-20 win and force a fourth set. Chayse Daugherty keyed the Trailblazers comeback in the third, recording six kills and a pair of blocks, while Hannah Howard added four kills.
 
Dixie State picked up where it left off in the fourth set, and jumped to a 14-9 lead. Southern Utah fought back with a 4-1 spurt to pull to within 15-14, but that's as close as it would get. The Trailblazers countered with an 9-3 run to push the lead to 24-17. SUU would score the next two points, but Daugherty slammed down her fifth kill of the frame on the next play off a set from Taela Laufiso to clinch the 25-19 triumph and move to the decisive fifth set.
 
The fifth and final frame perfectly encapsulated the back-and-forth theme of the match as the two sides traded points with neither team leading by more than three points. The Thunderbirds seemed to finally gain control with back-to-back points to build a 9-6 lead, but the Trailblazers bounced back with a 7-4 run to tie the score at 13-13. From there, DSU fended off three consecutive match-point opportunities for SUU, until consecutive kills by Howard would give DSU a chance to win at 17-16. But it was not to be. Southern Utah would mirror Dixie State's effort, warding off two match-point chances for the Trailblazers, and finally closed the match with three consecutive points for a 21-19 fifth-set triumph.  
 
The Trailblazers finished with a .159 hitting percentage and season-best marks in kills (64), assists (54), and total blocks (10). Daugherty led the DSU attack with a career-high 17 kills and 16 digs for her first double-double of the season, while Laufiso also notched a double-double with a career-best 36 assists and 11 digs in her fall 2021 debut.
 
Howard and Bridgett Talia also enjoyed career nights, as Howard posted a career-high 16 kills and Talia finished in double-figures for the first time as a Trailblazer with 14 kills.
 
Dixie State and Southern Utah will run it back on Saturday at 6 p.m., as the two teams head to St. George for DSU's home opener inside the Burns Arena.
 
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