TUCSON, Ariz. – Utah Volleyball set some career-highs in the desert, but it unfortunately wasn't enough to beat Arizona in a five-set showdown Thursday night at the McKale Center.
The Utes notched a dramatic win in set one and posted a strong comeback in set three, but ultimately succumbed to the Wildcats 2-3 (25-23, 12-25, 25-17, 24-26, 13-15).
SET ONE
Arizona pulled ahead by as much as five to start set one before the Utes got hot during
Levani Key-Powell's time serving, rattling off five unanswered points of their own to make it 13-12.
For a while the Wildcats looked like they were going to run away with the set, but the Utes came roaring back tying things up off an Arizona attack error 22-22.
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Utah took their first lead off a
Kamryn Gibadlo kill, followed by another kill from
Neea-Maria Joki to gain set point, 24-22 and forcing Arizona to take a timeout.
Freshman
Devyn Wiest wrapped the set up off with a kill to give the Utes the 25-23 first set win.
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SET TWO
Arizona was not deterred in set two, jumping to a 14-3 lead over the Utes before Gibadlo said "enough" with a kill. Despite a few inspired moments, Utah never could get into a groove through set two and fell to the Wildcats, 25-12.
SET THREE
Set three started out as a back-and-forth affair with the Utes and Wildcats trading blows until Utah took a two-point lead, 7-5, off an Arizona service error, an ace, an attack error.
Unlike set two, the Utes were the ones laying on the gas, jumping out to an 18-11 lead about halfway through the third set.
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Gibadlo's kill set the Utes up for set point, giving them the 25-17 win.
SET FOUR
Utah started the fourth set strong off an ace from Gibadlo, followed by a three-point run off two kills and one Arizona error, 4-2.
The Wildcats made things interesting through the middle of the set, trading shots with the Utes, exchanging eight ties and three lead changes, till they took a 12-10 lead.
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Arizona clung on to the lead for much of the set, until a late set surge by the Utes primarily led by Joki, Gibadlo and
Emrie Moea'i forced a tie at 24. Unfortunately, the Wildcats walked away with the 26-24 win, forcing set five.
SET FIVE
The Wildcats jumped to an early lead, but the Utes kept fighting back, staying within two, 8-6 by the halfway point.
Utah took the lead shortly after on two Arizona errors and a Joki kill, 10-8.
Arizona made it a dogfight down the stretch for the match win which they took, 15-13.
STANDOUT STATS
- Utes Total Stats: 56 kills off 160 total attempts, 51 assists, 10 blocks, 68 digs.
- Utah had three players hit double-digit kills: Wiest (16), Joki (16), Gibadlo (14).
- Joki tied her career-best in kills (16) and hit a career-high hitting percentage (.467).
- Gibadlo notched a career-high in digs (21) while also hitting a season-high in aces (3).
- Wiest set a career-high in kills (16), assists (2), digs (10), and blocks (2).
UP NEXT
The Utes wrap up their tour of the "Grand Canyon State" at No. 8 Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. MT, airing on ESPN+.
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