OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University managed to overcome a late fourth set deficit thanks to a clutch 11-2 run en route to earning a 3-1 victory over WAC foe Seattle University on Thursday evening at Lockhart Arena (22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 26-24).
 
Trailing 22-15 in the fourth set, Kazna Tarawhiti managed to spark six unanswered points for the Wolverines (12-11, 4-6 WAC) by driving home four kills during the stretch. After a SU (8-14, 1-8 WAC) point made it 23-21, UVU then again responded with three consecutive clutch points thanks to two more kills from Tarawhiti along with a Redhawk error to take a 24-23 advantage. SU then struck back with a block to tie the set at 24-24, but Utah Valley responded with back-to-back kill from Tarawhiti and Kristen Allred to complete the comeback with a 26-24 fourth-set victory. 
 
"That comeback in the fourth set was huge for us and as a coach you always love to see that. I felt like the odds were against us, but we managed to reset and take things one point at a time and the momentum shifted in our favor," head UVU coach Sam Atoa said. "The girls did a nice job of digging in the match and especially there at the end. We also ended up playing error-free volleyball and that was the difference. I'm really happy and encouraged with the win." 
 
The freshman Tarawhiti led UVU in the contest with a match-high 19 kills on .292 hitting, which included an impressive 10 kills in the final set. She also added 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Allred too had a strong performance for the Wolverines with 10 kills and 16 digs for her eighth double-double of the year, while Kaili Downs added nine kills and Makaila Jarema led the way at the net with six blocks. Madi Wardle paced the team in assists with 24, while Seren Merrill added a team-high 23 digs from the back row. 
 
After dropping the opening set, UVU managed to get things going midway through the second set by building a 17-14 advantage after back-to-back-to-back points. At 18-16, the Wolverines then followed up with a 5-2 spurt to push their lead to five at 23-18. Allred capped the UVU run with consecutive kills. The two sides then traded points from there until Utah Valley managed to put the set away at 25-20 on a final kill from the WAC's leading attacker Tarawhiti. 
 
With the match evened up at 1-1, UVU continued to hold the upper hand early in the third game by jumping out to a quick 9-4 lead. The Redhawks later struck back to tie the set at 12-12 following a 4-1 spurt. The Wolverines again pulled ahead at 17-14 following an ace and a kill from Tarawhiti, but back responded SU with an 8-1 stretch to take a 22-18 lead of its own. UVU then managed to reel off a clutch 6-1 run to take a late 24-23 set-point advantage. The block was key for Utah Valley during the spurt as the duo of Jarema and Alexis Davies managed to block back a trio of attack attempts. After a setter dump from SU's Shae Harris tied things up a 24-24, UVU then took advantage of a Seattle U service error following by a Tarawhiti kill to take the set, 26-24, and a 2-1 lead in the match. 
 
The Redhawks then looked determined to force a decisive fifth game, as they built an early 10-4 lead. UVU later pounded home a trio of consecutive points to pull within three at 12-9, but SU responded with four of the next five points to pull ahead at 16-10. Seattle U then continued to add to its lead from there by taking a late 22-15 advantage, but that was when the Wolverines would manage to make there move and finish off the key conference contest in four sets. 
 
With the victory, UVU moves into sole possession of sixth place in the WAC standings with a 4-6 conference clip. The top six teams will advance to the WAC Tournament other than current league-leader California Baptist, who is ineligible for postseason competition as it is in its first year of a four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I competition.
 
Despite dropping the match, a total of four players finished in double digits in kills for the Redhawks led by 15 apiece from Mila Duarte and Sofia Sanchez. 
 
Utah Valley will now be off until next week when it will have a tough stretch with matches against the current first-place California Baptist Lancers and the second-place and three-time defending league champion New Mexico State Aggies. UVU will first face CBU on Thursday, Nov. 1 in Riverside, California, before returning home for a Saturday afternoon contest against NM State on Nov. 3. The contests will mark two of a total of six regular-season matches remaining in 2018 for the Wolverines.