From staff reports

LOVB Salt Lake erased a two-set deficit to hand LOVB Austin a rare five-set loss Thursday night, completing a reverse sweep with a 20-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-10 victory at SLCC Bruin Arena.

The matchup marked the first meeting of the 2026 season between Austin and Salt Lake, and a rematch from last year’s LOVB quarterfinals, when Austin rallied from two sets down to eliminate Salt Lake. Austin entered the night having won five straight five-set matches. Its previous loss in a deciding set also came in Salt Lake on April 5, 2025.

Austin controlled the match early behind efficient offense and strong play at the net. Middle blockers Asjia O’Neal and Molly McCage consistently found success on the slide in the opening set, challenging Salt Lake’s block. A service ace from Brie O’Reilly capped the frame as Austin took the first set 25-20.

The visitors continued to apply pressure in the second. O’Neal delivered back-to-back aces to zone one to give Austin a 7-6 edge, and the depth of the roster showed when Khat Bell made her first appearance of the 2026 season, terminating a right-side swing to make it 12-11.

With both teams’ Japanese national team liberos anchoring extended rallies, points were hard to come by, but Logan Eggleston’s shot selection kept Austin steady late. Bell ended the set with a powerful kill as Austin moved in front 2-0.

Salt Lake shifted momentum in the third. Consecutive blocks ignited the home crowd, and Skylar Field came off the bench to provide an immediate spark. Roni Jones-Perry remained steady on the outside as Salt Lake pulled away late, closing the set 25-19 to cut the deficit to one.

Austin opened the fourth with a statement block from O’Neal and finished the night with an 18-14 edge in blocks, with McCage and Bell continuing to control the net. But Salt Lake gradually seized control, answering Austin’s balanced contributions – including kills from Leah Hardeman – to take the set 25-19 and force a deciding fifth.

Salt Lake jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the final set, and although Austin pulled within one at 11-10, a service error followed by a Salt Lake ace proved decisive. The home team closed the match on a late run to secure the 15-10 win and complete the reverse sweep.

“I thought we left a lot of opportunities on the court,” said Austin coach Erik Sullivan. “We were playing some good volleyball out there for a while. Kudos to them, they made some changes and put some pressure on us, and we didn’t react very well.”

Austin will look to regroup Sunday when it travels to Nebraska. First serve is slated for 3 p.m.