Late Rally Falls Short for Volleyball vs. Southern Utah

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The New Orleans Privateers put together a valiant comeback effort but were defeated 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21) by the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Friday afternoon at SRC Gymnasium.
 
STATS LEADERS
Rita Zecchin and Alexis Parrish co-led the squad with nine kills each. Maxine Walsh had seven kills and was in on four blocks. Sheilah Purcell (12), Zecchin (11) and Trinity Jackson (10) all reached double figures in digs.
 
Lucie Pokorna had 30 assists and Jackson had both of the team's service aces on the day.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
New Orleans won the third set to take the match to a fourth and the two sides were even early. However, Southern Utah hit an 8-1 run to extend their lead to 14-7 in the set.
 
The Privateers fought back to tie the score at 21-21, but the Thunderbirds responded with four straight points to hold on for the match victory.
 
After playing from behind in the first two sets, the Privateers got the early jump in set two. They scored six of the first nine points and never trailed. New Orleans hit .313 offensively while they limited Southern Utah to a .088 attack percentage.
 
Parrish's kill to finish the set was one of three for the Waco native. Kai Williams (4) and Trinity Jackson (3) also helped lead the Privateers' attack that began the comeback trail.
 
The Privateers clawed their way back in each of the first two sets but faced deficits of as many as nine points in the first set and ten in the second. The Thunderbirds hit .400 with five blocks in the second set.
 
NEXT UP
The Privateers finish the day against California Baptist at 9 p.m. CST. The match will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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