Box Score Sept. 10, 2016 Box Score
RENO, Nev. - The Nevada Wolf Pack volleyball team (6-2) got off to their best start in 14 seasons Saturday afternoon, defeating the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 2-1 in their second game of the Wolf Pack tournament.
The four sets went 25-18, 25-20, 21-25 and 25-15 to give Nevada the victory and put their start at 6-2, the best start since the 2002 season. Seniors Madison Morell and Kathryne Groenweghe led the way for the Pack offensively, with Morell racking up 15 kills and Groenweghe putting up a career-best 14. Junior Madison Foley was a rock on the defensive side of things with 15 digs.
Nevada jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first set, but the Thunderbirds fought back, taking a 4-3 lead. Groenweghe laid down the hammer for her third kill of the match to break another tie, but Southern Utah answered right back, knotting the match up at seven. Foley went back-to-back with a kill and an ace to put the Pack up 10-9. Nevada extended their lead slightly to 12-10 before Southern Utah called a timeout. The Thunderbirds came back to tie it up at 13, but three straight points from Nevada gave the home team a 16-13 lead, forcing another Southern Utah timeout. The Pack never looked back, taking the first set 25-18.
Nevada found themselves down 3-1 to start the second set. A Morell kill and an attack error from the Thunderbirds tied the set up at three before Morell stepped up again, her kill giving Nevada their first lead of the set 4-3. The set continued to stay tight, but Nevada took its largest lead of the match at 13-9. Nevada kept on their four point lead as Groenweghe continued to lead the team to 20-16. Southern Utah closed the gap to three for a few volleys, but the Pack went back up by four for the set points, 24-20. Nevada took a 2-0 lead in the match, claiming the second set 25-20.
The third set saw 10 ties and three lead changes at just the 11-11 mark, showing neither team was willing to break. However, it was Nevada that blinked first, falling to an 18-15 deficit before calling a timeout. The Wolf Pack wasn't going to give up easily, bringing the score to 22-20 Thunderbirds before Southern Utah called a timeout. For the second time in as many matches, Groenweghe tied her single match high in kills with 12 by the third set. Southern Utah would go on to win the third set 25-21.
Nevada took revenge at the beginning of the fourth set, jumping out to a 6-2 lead as Groenweghe set a new career high in kills and Morell hopped into double-digit kills. The Pack's dominance continued through the set, going up 9-3 before a Southern Utah timeout. Morell and Groenweghe, a pair of seniors, continued the air raid, putting Nevada up 15-9. Some more strong offense brought Nevada 's lead to 20-12, and, for the first time in her career, sophomore Gabby Szachara entered the game for the Wolf Pack, getting a block to bring Nevada's lead to 23-15. Nevada would take the deciding set 25-15 to win the match 3-1.
Nevada will close out their home tournament Saturday night at 7 p.m. against UC Davis.
