SALT LAKE CITY – The No. 22-ranked Utah volleyball team closed out the opening weekend in sweeping fashion, downing Utah Valley in straight sets (25-23, 25-17, 26-24) to close out the Utah Classic. Led by All-Tournament Team selections Madelyn Robinson and Allie Olsen throughout the event, the Utes finished 2-1 at the Huntsman Center this weekend.
“It was nice to play a lot of different players tonight and see different people step up when needed,” said head coach Beth Launiere. “The match was very competitive and there were a lot of moments we needed to respond and did just that. Overall, I am pleased with our effort this weekend and we will continue to work on areas we need to improve on. It was a nice starting point and we are excited about where this team goes from here.”
Utah found itself trailing early after giving up four consecutive points to fall behind Utah Valley 14-9 in the first set. After a Utah timeout, Olsen earned a kill from the middle before Ashley West and Olsen teamed up for Utah’s first block of the match. The momentum continued as Robinson recorded an ace, followed by another West kill and Olsen block to tie the set 14-14 and force a Wolverine timeout.
From there, the two in-state squads were never separated by more than two points. Trailing 22-21, Robinson earned a key kill to tie the score for the 13th time of the set before a Utah Valley attack error and ace from Robinson created a 3-0 run to give the Utes set point. A Utah error trimmed the score to 24-23, but Robinson ensured the Ute win with her fifth kill of the set.
Utah used…
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