PULASKI, Tenn. - UT Southern volleyball opened Southern States Athletic Conference play on Friday night at Curry Athletic Complex, battling hard but ultimately falling 3–1 to Blue Mountain Christian in a tightly contested four-set match. Despite strong performances from several Firehawks, the comeback effort fell short as BMCU secured the opening conference win.
Set-by-Set Summary
The opening set featured constant back-and-forth action with multiple lead changes. UT Southern built a 22-19 advantage behind kills from Ashlee Kraft and Irby Norris, but Blue Mountain Christian closed on a 7-2 run to take the set 26-24.
In set two, BMCU's offense took control, using timely kills and tough serving to pull away late for a 25-17 win. UT Southern struggled offensively, hitting just .148 in the frame.
The Firehawks responded in the third set with their strongest performance of the night, grinding out a 27-25 victory. Kraft led the way with powerful kills, while Amree Patterson added a clutch service ace and Jelleny Mallozzi distributed the offense effectively.
Set four saw BMCU regain momentum early and keep UT Southern at a distance. Despite efforts from Emma Beardsley and Patterson, the Firehawks couldn't recover, dropping the frame 25-17 as Blue Mountain closed out the match.
Set Statistics
Set Scores
| Set |
UT Southern |
Blue Mountain Christian |
| 1 |
24 |
26 |
| 2 |
17 |
25 |
| 3 |
27 |
25 |
| 4 |
17 |
25 |
| Final |
1 |
3 |
UT Southern Team Attack per Set
| Set |
Kills |
Errors |
Attempts |
Hitting % |
| 1 |
13 |
4 |
43 |
.209 |
| 2 |
8 |
4 |
27 |
.148 |
| 3 |
11 |
5 |
38 |
.158 |
| 4 |
7 |
4 |
35 |
.086 |
| Total |
39 |
17 |
143 |
.154 |
Blue Mountain Christian Team Attack per Set
| Set |
Kills |
Errors |
Attempts |
Hitting % |
| 1 |
17 |
6 |
48 |
.229 |
| 2 |
11 |
5 |
30 |
.200 |
| 3 |
12 |
10 |
43 |
.047 |
| 4 |
13 |
9 |
41 |
.098 |
| Total |
53 |
30 |
162 |
.142 |
Firehawk Leaders
Kills: Ashlee Kraft – 13 | Emma Beardsley – 8 | Amree Patterson – 7
Assists: Jelleny Mallozzi – 27
Digs: Isabella Garza – 21 | Mallozzi – 18 | Beardsley – 11
Blocks: Patterson – 4 (1 BS, 3 BA) | Mallozzi – 2 BA
Aces: Mallozzi – 2 | Patterson – 1 | Griffin – 1
UT Southern finished with 39 kills, 71 digs, 35 assists, 4 service aces, and 10 total blocks on the night.
Up Next
UT Southern continues SSAC play on the road, traveling to Point University on Saturday, September 13, for a noon matchup.
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