OREM, Utah – Despite taking the first set and nearly winning the fourth, the Utah Valley University volleyball team fell to in-state rival and 16th-ranked Utah, 3-1, on Friday evening at Lockhart Arena (25-19, 18-25, 16-25, 22-25).
 
The Wolverines fall to 5-9 on the season and 2-2 against in-state foes, while the Pac-12 Utes improve to 9-2 overall and 1-1 versus in-state opponents with the victory.
 
"You've got to give Utah credit, but I felt like our kids really came out fighting and played a pretty flawless first set. Unfortunately, you have to win three of those and weren't able to do it tonight," head UVU coach Sam Atoa said. "I was proud of the girls for their effort, especially when we made things competitive late in that fourth set. But overall we made a few too many mistakes." 
 
Despite suffering the setback, Lexi Thompson led the Wolverine attack in the contest with 15 kills and eight digs, while Kristen Allred added nine kills, five blocks and eighth digs, and Madison Dennison posted eight kills and a match-high eight blocks. Izzie Hinton too had a nice outing for UVU with seven kills while Utah transfer Megan Boudreaux added a season-high six. Sierra Starley and Seren Merrill topped the squad in assists and digs with 37 and 12, respectively.
 
The Wolverines were the first to get things going in the opening set, as they jumped out to a quick 10-5 advantage following a 4-1 spurt. Boudreaux led the early UVU run with a pair of kills. With Utah Valley later holding to a 16-12 lead following a Thompson kill, the Utes responded with back-to-back points to pull within two at 16-14. With UVU holding to an 18-16 lead, the Wolverines then managed to piece together a clutch 4-1 spurt to extend their lead to 22-17. Dennison led the run with a block and a kill. Following a Utah point, UVU then scored three of the final four points to take the opening set, 25-19. As a team, the Wolverines hit an impressive .467 in the frame led by six kills on .545 hitting from Thompson.
 
In a very tightly contested second game that featured 14 ties and eight lead changes, the Utes were the first to pull ahead, at 18-16, following a trio of unanswered points. After a Thompson kill pulled the Wolverines to within one, at 18-17, Utah answered back once again with at 4-0 run to take a 22-17 advantage. Following another Thompson kill, Utah then put the set away, at 25-18, after a trio of unanswered points to even the match at 1-1.
 
The 16th-ranked Utes looked strong in the early stages of the third set, as they opened up a quick 6-0 lead. Following a Dennison and Allred block assist and a Starley kill that pulled the Wolverines to with 8-3, Utah responded with a trio of points to take an 11-3 advantage. With the Utes later holding to a 13-6 lead, UVU bounced back with a 5-2 run to pull within four at 15-11. Allred and Dennison led the spurt with a kill and a block apiece. The Utes then countered right back, however, with a 6-1 run of their own to take a 21-12 lead. Utah would go on the finish the set a few points later at 25-16.
 
Utah continued to look strong in the early stages of the fourth set, as it built a quick 7-0 advantage. With the Utes later holding to a 13-4 lead, back struck Utah Valley with a 9-2 run to pull with two at 15-13. UVU controlled the net during the stretch by blocking back a total of four block assists. Following a Utah kill from Berkeley Oblad, UVU then drove home back-to-back points to make it a one-point deficit at 16-15. Hinton and Dennison capped the spurt with another block. With the Wolverines still trailing by a point, at 19-18, following an Alexis Davies kill, the Utes responded with a trio of unanswered points to take a 22-18 advantage. Utah Valley later pulled to within two a couple of times down the stretch, but the 16th-ranked Utes would go on to put the set, 25-22, and the match away, 3-1, on a final kill from Shannon Scully.
 
A total of three players reached double figures in kills for the Utes led by Tawnee Luafalemana's match-high 18. Luafalemana was error-free posted an error-free hitting night for Utah en route to recording an impressive .857 attack percentage.  
 
Despite dropping the match, UVU outblocked the Utes, 13.0 to 8.0, on the night.  
 
The Wolverines will conclude their in-state rivalry week by hosting No. 14 BYU on Saturday evening for a UCCU Crosstown Clash. First serve for the in-state battle is set for 7 p.m. at UVU's Lockhart Arena.
 
"It doesn't get any easier for us, as we'll have to play Utah and BYU on back-to-back nights. But we're excited for the challenge," Atoa added. "It's fun to play to sport, and hopefully the girls will come and be competitive in front of a good environment that we are expecting."