OREM, Utah – Tarleton State faces a tough loss on the road to the Wolverines in three frames in first ever match hosted by UVU.
Utah Valley claimed three sets in a row at 25-16, 25-17, and 25-16 to shut out the Texans.
Tarleton State is now 13-13 overall and 4-8 in conference after a hard loss to Utah Valley.
Rajini Fitzmaurice led the Texan offense with nine kills.
Grayson Schirpik tallied eight kills of her own and five came from
Breanna McDonough. Schirpik led the team with four aces to see her new season high.
Megan Hodges compiled 18 assists on the match and
Melina Maldonado Ortiz tallied 10.
Emma Burke led the defense in blocks (2).
Matti Theurer totaled 10 digs and Maldonado Ortiz contributed six for the Texans.
The opening set saw the home team take the first seven points. The Texans claimed the next three with a pair of kills from Fitzmaurice and McDonough. Utah Valley led throughout the duration of the set. The Purple and White saw a five-score run to close the gap to a two-point deficit at 14-16. The Wolverines claimed the next seven points on the board to see the visitors down by nine. McDonough and Fitzmaurice tallied the final points for Tarleton State, but Avery Shewell laid down a kill to seal the deal for UVU.
The second frame saw the home team take the first point, but Schirpik laid down a kill to see the Purple and White on the board. A kill from McDonough and an ace from Schirpik saw the Texans take the lead but the Wolverines put down three consecutive points to regain the lead by two. From there, UVU held the lead. Three score runs from both sides saw the score at 11-16 in favor of the home team. Frank and Schirpik took the final two point for the Texans, but Kalea Kennedy tallied the set point with a kill to see a 25-17 final.
In the third and final stanza, the home team continued the pattern and took the first point of the set. An error from the Wolverines gave Tarleton State their first point but the next three points went to Utah Valley. Fitzmaurice claimed the second point for the Purple and White, but a four-score run from UVU saw the Texans down by six at 2-8. The home team stayed ahead the remained of the set.
Sydney Garrison and Schirpik tallied the final points for Tarleton State but four consecutive points and a kill from Kennedy closed out the set at 25-16 and the match at 3-0 in favor of Utah Valley.
Tarleton State Volleyball will be back in action in the Wisdom Volleyball Gym on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. to take on Grand Canyon. The match against the Lopes can be found on ESPN+.
