Utah Volleyball Refuses To Yield, Takes Down USC in Five Sets
It was already known that Utah had the moxie to come from behind and win a five-set thriller, having done so against Arizona State a week and a half ago.
But what the Utes encountered this past Sunday against USC was different than that match down in Tempe, Arizona.
This time Utah was the team that found itself blowing a 2-1 lead after a brutal 26-24 loss in the fourth set, thus setting the stage for what should be a dramatic finish — and that is was.
Utah took down USC 3-2 (24-26, 25-19, 25-18, 24-26, 15-13) to stay perfect at 8-0 on the season and remain at No. 7 in the national rankings.
Kenzie Koerber, an all-American from last season, had gotten off to a slow start this year but when Utah needed her most, she was at her best. She finished with 14 kills and a career-high 20 digs, adding three aces and four blocks.
Dani Drews, another all-American, finished with a team-high 21 kills in what was considered an off-night in efficiency after finishing with a .207 hitting percentage. She also added 14 digs, two aces and two blocks.
Kenzie Koerber, Utah Volleyball — Courtesy of Utah Athletics
The first set was a thrilling one in which the Utes showed a lot of heart in fighting back to make it close. Trailing 24-21, Utah rattled off three consecutive points to make to tie it up before the Trojans closed it out.
Not wanting to leave any doubt, Utah handled USC fairly easily in sets two and three. The offense, led by setter Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres, found its rhythm and became nearly unstoppable. Combining that with the defense and it appeared nothing would stand in their way in the fourth set.
But the Trojans refused to give up, finding another gear on both sides of the net to take the early advantage. The Utes chipped away and stayed prevalent the whole time, going on a 5-1 run to take a 24-23 lead and give itself a match point. However USC rallied with three straight points to go to a fifth set, and claiming the momentum as well.
The fifth set provided a lot of drama and was closely contested. Tied at 10, the Utes got kills from Drews and Koerber for the late lead. Ka'aha'aina-Torres added a beautiful dump to make it match point before Phoebe Grace finished the match with a kill.
Ka'aha'aina-Torres finished with 45 assists and 17 digs while Zoe Weatherington chipped in 10 kills and three blocks.
Utah returns to action on Thursday when it hosts upstart Oregon, tied for second in the Pac-12 at 6-2 and ranked No. 22 in the nation. First serve is set for 3 p.m.
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