CEDAR CITY, UT -- The UT Arlington volleyball team lost Thursday night as the Southern Utah Thunderbirds posted a 3-1 (21-25, 20-25, 25-18, 19-25) win at home at the America First Event Center. This marked the first win Southern Utah has ever had over UTA. The loss dropped UT Arlington's record to 11-12 overall and 3-8 in WAC play.

Both teams started strong in the opening set as Southern Utah took the first timeout of the game, down 13-15. SUU capitalized on a string of UTA attacking errors to rally back and take a 16-15 lead. The Thunderbirds worked hard to extend their lead, 18-16, due to a two-point scoring run. Southern Utah kept their momentum as a service error allowed the Thunderbirds to snag the first set, 25-21.
 
In set two, Southern Utah came in hot after taking the first set, leading game two with a 7-4 start. UTA came back up the stretch after a kill by Sophie Ocampo and service ace from Alondra Hernandez, 11-12. The Thunderbirds called timeout and came out strong after. Freshman Camryn McMinn later sparked the Mavericks, helping UTA pull within 18-16. However, a series of late errors proved costly, and Southern Utah captured the second set, 25-20, leading the game 2-0.
 
The Mavericks came out energized in the third set, taking the largest lead of the night for either team at 8-3 before SUU called a timeout. UTA extended its advantage to 15-11, prompting another Thunderbird timeout. At the 16-13 mark, the teams began trading points in a tight back-and-forth stretch. Southern Utah later used a timeout with the Mavericks up 20-16, but a 4-0 UTA scoring run pushed the lead 24-17. The Mavs closed out the set 25-18, capturing their first set of the night.
 
Southern Utah jumped out to an early 5-3 lead to start the fourth set. At the 8-9 mark, the teams continued trading points, with UTA staying within one all the way to 11-13. The Mavericks called timeout with SUU ahead 17-14. Both teams battled back-and-forth up to 22-19, but the Thunderbirds closed the door with a late 3-0 run to take the set, 25-19, and secure the 3-1 match win.
 
 
Game Notes
» Mira Ledermueller had a team-high three aces in the loss.
» Camryn McMinn had a match-high 18 kills for UT Arlington.
» UT Arlington got a match-high 11 digs from Samantha Glenn.
» UT Arlington attackers were helped by a match-high 45 assists from Mira Ledermueller.
 
NEXT UP
The Mavericks will head south to face the Trailblazers of Utah Tech on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. CT in Burns Arena in St. George, Utah.
 

#BuckEm

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Volleyball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on X (formally known as Twitter) @UTAMavsVB, on Instagram @UTAMavsVB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsVB.