(Cedar City, Utah – Nov. 6, 2023) - Despite taking a 2-1 lead after three sets, the Trailblazer volleyball team fell in five sets at Southern Utah on Monday night at America First Event Center.

Utah Tech (8-16, 4-10 WAC) took the opening set, 26-24 before dropping the second set, 22-25. With the Trailblazers coming back to win the third set, 25-19, Southern Utah (6-18, 2-12 WAC) completed the comeback with wins in the fourth set, 25-22 & 15-9.

Led by a season-high 19 kills from Hannah Howard, the fourth-year Trailblazer hit .364 adding four digs and a pair of block assists.

Freshman outside hitter Sydney Reese added her first career double-double finishing with 11 kills and a season-high 13 blocks, including 11 block assists. Marley Roe added a team-leading 25 assists and joined Taela Laufiso with a team-best 15 digs.

With a kill from Adee Butler tying the opening set at 18-18, the two teams split the next 12 points evenly to come to a 24 tie after a Thunderbird kill. Utah Tech responded with a kill by Howard and an attack error by Southern Utah for the set win.

A back-and-forth second set saw a tie at 22 before SUU was able to claim the final three points of the set for a three-point win to even the match at one set apiece.

Jumping out to a 17-12 lead after a block by Kate Hardy to start the third set, a kill by Taylor Snow kept the Blazers in front, 23-16. Three straight points by SUU cut the UT lead down to four before the Blazers closed out the set with back-to-back kills from Howard and Snow.

Getting blocks from Reese and Hardy to take a 19-18 lead in the fourth set, SUU closed out the set on a 7-3 run for a three-point set win evening the match at two apiece.

Heading to a fifth set for the eighth time this season, the Thunderbirds raced out to a 6-0 lead. SUU extended its lead to seven at 13-6 after a kill getting a pair of kills and blocks from Hardy and Kennedi Knudsen cut SUU's lead to four at 13-9, the final two points of the set went to SUU with a kill and a service ace.

The Trailblazers totaled a season-best 19.0 blocks, but the Thunderbirds held an advantage in kills (64-56), service aces (9-3), digs (81-77) and assists (62-52).

Utah Tech closes out the regular season traveling to Seattle (7-18, 2-12 WAC) on Thursday and Utah Valley (9-16, 6-8 WAC) on Saturday.