It was an eventful week for Utah Tech University athletics as volleyball continued its strong start while football suffered a tough road defeat.
Women’s volleyball
Utah Tech swept California Baptist University 3-0 at home Oct. 2. It was the Trailblazer’s eighth sweep of the season.
Senior outside hitter Kennedi Knudsen led the team with 18 kills while both setters, junior Marley Roe and freshman Tehanie Waters, had 16 assists.
Utah Tech found runs of 5-0 in the first set and 8-0 in the second and third sets as they went on to sweep 25-17, 25-13 and 25-18.
Utah Tech won again Oct. 4 as they beat UVU 3-1.
After dropping the first set, Utah Tech rallied to take the next three sets 25-16, 25-19 and 25-19.
Knudsen led the team again with 17 kills while junior Tessa Treanor and senior Taylor Snow both had 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
The win brings Utah Tech’s record to 12-4 and 3-0 in WAC play. The Trailblazers will travel to Texas to face both Tarleton State University and Abilene Christian University.
Women’s soccer
After beating Southern Utah University, Utah Tech then traveled to face Tarleton State Oct. 5, losing 4-3. It was Utah Tech’s first loss in WAC play, leaving their record at 5-4-3 and 1-1-1 in conference play.
Sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski led the effort with two goals while junior Nicole Choren scored her first goal as a Trailblazer.
TSU opened the scoring on a header after a long shot rebounded. Koscielski answered less than a minute later after stealing a Tarleton State pass before finding the back of the net for the equalizer goal.
Tarleton State retook the lead off another header following a corner kick. Koscielski again answered less than a minute later for her second goal of the match.
Following the break, Tarleton took the lead again and added an insurance goal in the second half.
Choren cut the lead to 4-3 but Utah Tech was unable to find the equalizer the remainder of the match.
Utah Tech returns home to face Utah Valley University Oct. 9.
Cross country
Utah Tech women’s cross country finished second in the Southern Utah Color Country Invitational with two top 10 finishers.
Junior Makayla Pitcher and Averie Perriton took fifth and seventh place overall while clocking in the fifth and sixth fastest 4K times in program history.
Meanwhile, the men took third while competing in the Southern Utah Color Country Invitational with a top 10 finish.
Junior Ryan Hatch finished 10th overall with a time of of 19:34.32 in the 6K race.
Women’s swimming
Utah Tech opened their season with a runner-up finish in the Pepperdine Rodionoff Invitational, winning nine events throughout the meet.
Junior Cera Mallory was responsible for three of those victories as she claimed the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle events on Day 2. Mallory also won the 500 freestyle on Day 1 of the meet.
The Trailblazers return to the pool Oct. 10 in a meet at New Mexico State University.
Football
Utah Tech dropped a close game on the road to Central Arkansas University 23-17.
After a scoreless first quarter, Utah Tech opened the scoring as quarterback Bronson Barben found tight end Eric Olsen, who was able to get free for a 39-yard touchdown.
“We had a few explosive plays and that’s something we have to continue to do,” head coach Lance Anderson said.
Central Arkansas responded with a touchdown of their own on their next drive. They then took a 10-7 lead on a 28-yard field goal following a Utah Tech punt.
Kicker Ilya Uvaydov tied the game at 10 a piece before halftime with a 30-yard field goal.
Following the break, Utah Tech struck quickly as Barben found wide receiver Josh Rillos for a 46-yard touchdown.
Central Arkansas responded by driving 73 yards down the field in three plays before finding the end zone to tie the game.
The Bears took the lead halfway through the quarter after a 39-yard field goal gave them a 20-17 lead. Central Arkansas would extend their lead on another field goal with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Utah Tech falls to 1-5 heading into a home game against Tarleton State Oct. 11.
