STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Volleyball fell in its return to Wisdom Gym to Utah Tech, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon.
The Texans (6-16 overall, 1-8 WAC) fell to the Utah Tech Trailblazers (13-7 overall, 7-3 WAC) in straight sets (19-25, 22-25, 20-25).
Megan Hodges led the team with 14 assists. Following Saturday's match, Hodges needs just two more assists to achieve 2,000 career assists at Tarleton. Yuna Ansquer recorded 14 assists as well, putting both Texan setters in double-digits.
Allison Bryant and Madison Frank each recorded a team-high nine kills with Frank posting a stellar .438 attack percentage. Emma Burke led the team tallying seven blocks, followed by freshman Madeline O'Gorman with four. O'Gorman set two career-highs recording four blocks and five kills.
In the first set, Frank was responsible for three of Tarleton's first five points. The Texans and Trailblazers kept it close until the 13-12 point. Utah Tech proceeded to go on a 9-2 run to take control of the set, 22-14. The Purple and White fought to come back, going on a 5-0 run that included an ace from O'Gorman. However, UTU eventually took the first frame, 25-19.
Utah Tech kept their foot on the gas pedal, opening the second period on a 6-1 run. Tarleton battled to tie the game up at 13-13 thanks to multiple Trailblazer attack errors and two kills from Frank. The Trailblazers sparked another run, scoring four unanswered points to take a 21-17 lead. UTU was able to use their momentum to take a 25-22 victory in the second stanza.
In the third and final set, Bryant and O'Gorman were responsible for half of the Texan's opening ten points. UTU found themselves with a 15-12 lead in the middle of the third, however, a back-to-back kill and service ace from Emma Burke would bring the Texans back in the mix. With the final game tied at 20, the Trailblazers would finish on a 5-0 run to win the match.
The Purple and White will return to action on Monday in Abilene where they will face off against conference and I-20 rival, Abilene Christian. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with first serve set for 6 p.m. CT.
