OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley State volleyball team played in front of it's biggest home crowd on Monday night, but came up short in four games to in-state rival Utah State 30-32, 30-26, 19-30, 28-30. The Wolverines in front of 424 came back in game four to cut a USU 26-20 lead to one, but couldn't force the deciding game.
"It's matches like this that help us build character," said Atoa. "If the girls are willing to keep trying and stepping up, good things are going to happen for them."
Camie Manwill and
Anne Olsen both finished with double figure kills, with Manwill recording a match-high 19 and Olsen finishing with 14.
In game one, the Wolverines took an early 5-2 lead and would extend that lead to six points at 13-7. USU would battle back and cut the UV lead to one point at 22-21. Utah Valley would hold lead for almost the entire game until Utah State would take an advantage at 31-30. USU would convert the final point and take the set 32-30. Manwill had 5 kills in the game to lead the Wolverines.
"We wanted to swing for game point, we wanted to serve for game point," said Atoa. "As long as we give ourselves a chance to win I am happy."
Both teams traded points throughout game two, with the biggest lead belonging to the Wolverines at three points. Manwill continued to be steady, recording seven kills in the game. The Wolverines hit .387 during the set winning in the end 30-26.
Game three started back-and-forth and was notched at 9-9 before an Aggie 4-0 run gave them a 13-9 advantage and the momentum they needed. USU would maintain a secure lead, and increase it to six at 25-19 forcing a UV timeout. The Wolverines wouldn't get their breath back after the minute intermission, letting the Aggies go on an 8-0 run to close out the game 30-19.
"They played very well in game three," said Atoa. "We were on our heals and lost the fight."
The Aggies took the momentum they gained in game three into the fourth game. USU didn't take a huge lead in the set, but it controlled the ball well on both sides. USU would take a 26-20 lead late, before a UV surge. The Wolverines would cut the lead to one at game point (29-28), but the Aggies scored the final point to end the match in dramatic fashion.
The WAC foe out-blocked UV 17.5 to 10, and out-hit the Wolverines .273 to .218, and improve to 13-7 on the season. The Wolverines fell to 7-8.
Utah Valley State will travel to it's neighboring states over the weekend to take on Wyoming and Northern Colorado. The Wolverines face up against UW on Friday at 7:00 pm (MST) in Laramie, and then take on the Bears of UNC on Saturday at 7:00 pm (MST) in Greeley.
