Box Score

HOUSTON – Utah Valley came back from a six-point deficit in the fourth set to force a fifth, then went on to defeat Houston Baptist, 3-2 (25-18, 18-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-12), in Great West Conference volleyball Saturday afternoon at Sharp Gym.
 
Junior middle blocker Caiti Wenger had a match-high 18 kills and five blocks for the Huskies (12-9, 2-1 GWC). Three HBU players recorded double-doubles with senior outside hitter Heather Leaverton posting 17 kills and 19 digs, sophomore outside hitter Jasmine Casey adding 14 kills and 15 digs and senior setter Victoria Weatherly recording 56 assists, 11 digs, four blocks and a pair of kills. Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Keith had 12 kills and five digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Haley Hoffman had 13 digs and sophomore libero Esther Longoria came up with 12 digs.
 
Lindsay Morrell and Kalani Norris had 16 each to lead Utah Valley (9-7, 2-0). Erica Nash had 15 kills and six blocks, and Lauren Stringham had nine kills and six blocks. McKenna Tait led the Wolverines defensively with 33 dig, and Brookelyn Hall had 48 assists and 13 digs.
 
Utah Valley hit .249 for the match, while HBU hit .198. The Huskies outdug the Wolverines, 77-69, and held an 11-7 advantage in aces, but the Wolverines outblocked the Huskies, 11-9.
 
After the Huskies scored the first point of the match, the Wolverines ripped off eight in a row to jump ahead. HBU chipped away and got back to within two at 18-16. Utah Valley led 21-18, then scored the final four points of the set to claim the win, 25-18. Norris had five kills in the set for the Wolverines, while Casey and Leaverton had three each for the Huskies, who hit -.029 in the frame.
 
HBU turned the tables on Utah Valley at the beginning of the second set, streaking to a 7-1 lead behind a pair of kills each for Wenger and Casey. The Wolverines quickly got back into it, however, as they cut the deficit to 10-8. Leading 12-10, the Huskies scored three in a row to up their lead back to five and cruised to a 25-18 decision to even the match at a set apiece. Casey had four kills in the set, while three other players had three each for HBU, and Morrell had four for Utah Valley.
 
The Huskies used a five-point run to take a 10-4 lead in the third, but the Wolverines battled back to tie the set, 14-14. Utah Valley briefly took the lead at 18-17, but HBU scored four-straight points to lead 21-18 and went on for a 25-22 victory to lead 2-1 in the match. Wenger had eight kills for the Huskies in the set, and Morrell had seven for the Wolverines.
 
HBU took the lead in the fourth and seemed well on their way to a win with an 18-12 lead. However, Utah Valley scored four-straight points to cut the Huskies' lead to two. After HBU sided out for a three-point lead, Utah Valley ripped off eight-straight points to get to set point at 24-19 and even the match with a 25-20 win. Morell and  Stringham ahd five kills and Nish had four kills for Utah Valley, while Leaverton led HBU with seven in the set.
 
The decisive fifth set was tied, 4-4, when Utah Valley scored two in a row. The Wolverines later scored three straight to take a 10-5, but the Huskies answered with five-straight to tie the set, 10-10. Utah Valley scored the next three and went on to win the match by a 15-13 score in the final set. Morrell and Norris had three kills each for Utah Valley, while Keith had three in the final set for HBU.
 
The Huskies return to action when they travel to face future Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Huntsville, Texas.