Salt Lake City – Utah Volleyball closed out the season with a thrilling five-set victory over the University of Colorado, (24-26, 25-16, 18-25, 28-26, 15-11), in their final Pac-12 conference rivalry showdown.
The Utes displayed resilience and toughness, battling back throughout the match. The first set displayed seven lead changes with 10 ties. Utah rallied from the first to the second set, putting together their best hitting percentage of the match in the second set, amassing a .406 clip. Utah tallied 60 kills to Colorado’s 57, outhitting the Buffaloes .221 to .193 throughout the five-set battle.
Lauren Jardine put down a team-high 20 kills on 49 total attempts, finishing with a .224 hitting percentage. Jardine tallied six kills in the second set alone with just one error, finishing with a .385 hitting percentage. With Jardine leading the way, four Utes finished with double-digit kills on the day. With 13 kills on 21 swings and just three errors, Allie Olsen recorded a .476 hitting percentage. It is her 15th match of the season hitting .400 or better. Olsen added six block assists for the Utah defense.
Kamryn Gibadlo and Emrie Satuala added 11 kills apiece for the Utah attack. Gibadlo finished with a .286 hitting percentage, with just three errors on 28 attack attempts. Satuala was a strong presence at the net for the Utah defense, logging six block assists and two solo blocks.
As the five-set battle came to a close, Utah began to pull away after the eight-point changeover. After the Colorado service error put Utah ahead, 9-8. Kills from Gibadlo and Satuala extended the Utah advantage to 11-8, before Colorado would regain the serve. Jardine would put away the final Utah points to secure the fifth set for the win.
Viktoria Wahlgren crossed the 40-plus assist mark for the eighth time this season, finishing with 47 against the Buffs. Wahlgren added five block assists with an ace and a kill to her tally.
Before the match got underway, Utah celebrated the career of the lone graduating senior, Emily Smith. Smith has appeared in 101 matches and 290 sets during her time with the Utes. She closes out her career with 1,066 assists, 453 digs, and 74 service aces. During her final season, she tallied career-highs in both digs and aces, recording six aces in a match against…
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