Utah’s season ends in NCAA’s second round after thrilling, heartbreaking five-set loss to Marquette

Time and time again, the Utah volleyball team found itself in tough situations Friday night at the Huntsman Center during its second-round NCAA tournament matchup against Marquette, needing a rally or a big moment from one of its many contributors.
One came when the Golden Eagles won the first two sets with some late-set execution. Another came when the Utes were just two points away from elimination in the fourth set and Marquette looked poised to put the match away.
Utah, behind a senior group that was led by Lauren Jardine, managed to force a fifth set, but Marquette closed out the Utes’ season with just a touch more execution in the night’s critical moments.
The 3-2 loss (23-25, 22-25, 25-18, 26-24, 12-15) for Utah was full of fireworks — and thrills — in front of a crowd of 2,290 fans.
“You know, this team has fought all season long. It’s what they do. It’s why we won 25 matches, because they love each other, they play for each other, and they just never quit,” Utah coach Beth Launiere told a room of reporters following the match.
“And that was certainly the situation tonight, so I’m proud of them. Really special group. Love them. It was hard to come in here (the interview room) because we didn’t want to say goodbye in the locker room.”
The match started hot — the Utes had a .432 hitting percentage in the first set, to .424 for Marquette — before settling into a defensive battle.
Utah lived by its ability to block at times — the Utes had 17 blocks to the Golden Eagles’ seven — while Marquette finished the night with 89 digs, 19 more than Utah’s 70.
The loss didn’t dampen what’s been a memorable season for the Utes, who finished the year 25-6 after they tied for third in the Big 12 race, all while earning a top 4 NCAA seed and the chance to host the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in school history.
Unfortunately for the Utes, Marquette had a counter for nearly every Utah rally all night, and in the end, the Golden Eagles had the final one.
“Congratulations to Marquette. I thought they came in and just played a great match,” Launiere said. “… I thought from start to finish, they played a strong match.”
The Utes led 6-4 early in the fifth set, then fell behind 12-10 just moments after their final block of the night pulled them within a point. Still, they fought back, and Jardine’s final kill of her Utah career made it 12-12 as she got the crosscourt shot to drop.
That’s when it fell apart one last time, though. Marquette’s Aubrey Hamilton followed with a kill of her own, then Hamilton and Hattie Bray came up with a big block on a touch shot from Jardine to make it 14-12, giving the Golden Eagles a shot at match point.
It was Hamilton, who had a match-high 20 kills, who delivered the kill that hit off Utah’s libero on match point, sending the Golden Eagles into a celebration.
Even in a loss, Jardine shined. The senior outside hitter, who’s already been drafted into the pros and will embark on her own journey after this, finished with 17 kills, six digs and eight blocks.
“Big time performance by Lauren. You know, she really carried us for a lot of the match, and we really needed her, and she came through,” Launiere said, while adding, “As usual, we had contributions from everybody through the course of the night.”
One of those defining moments for Jardine and the Utes came late in the fourth set, when Marquette had built a 23-19 lead.
A Golden Eagles attack error made it 23-20, and on the ensuing point, Emrie Satuala and Kamry Bailey stonewalled a Marquette attempt, notching the Utes’ 14th block of the night.
Following a timeout, Jardine had a kill to make it 23-22, and she followed that with another kill to knot it at 23-23.
Utah then went ahead when Jardine served up her lone ace of the night, dropping the serve just in front of the end line, giving the Utes set point.
That moment, of rallying when defeat was just a couple points away, showed “our belief in each other that we could come back from that deficit,” said senior Allie Olsen, who had nine kills and a .364 hitting percentage.
While Marquette was able to stave off set point once, Utah forced a second set point on another Jardine kill, then a Golden Eagles overhit led to Bailey slamming home a kill for the 26-24 win, forcing a decisive fifth set.
“I thought it was just the epitome of this team,” Launiere said. “In the timeout, I had everybody take a deep breath, and I thought it was a great rotation for us.
“… We just took a deep breath, and I said, ‘This is a great rotation for us. Let’s go.’ We had a lot of matches where we were up and down through the course of the year, and to only drop five matches, now six, through a lot of tough situations, just shows the resolve of this group.”
It ended up not being enough after Utah fell down two sets to none, and even after the Utes first staved off elimination by scoring the final six points of the third set.
“I think we had it in ourselves, the will not to lose. I think a lot of the time we get down some points and then we think it’s the end of the world, but we have our team who consistently backs us and tells us, ‘No, that isn’t the end,’” Jardine said. “That isn’t the end all, be all — we can fight hard and continue to be in this match, and I think that’s what kind of set the tone.”
Still, those first two sets were so costly, putting the Utes in comeback mode.
Utah had four early service errors — the Utes finished with 11 on the night — and fell behind 14-11 in the first set. Marquette then finished the set by scoring the final four points for the 1-0 lead.
In the second set — one where the Utes trailed by as many as five points — Utah appeared to have the momentum when Jardine finished off a long rally with a kill that stayed just inside the end line, tying the set at 21-21.
Marquette, though, closed strong again. A Golden Eagles kill was followed by a service ace from Molly Berezowitz, when Utah let the serve go and it came down just inside the corner of the court.
With Utah facing a 23-21 deficit, Marquette closed it out with a block and capitalized on a Utah overhit on set point to slam home a kill from Yadhira Achante.
The win sends Marquette on to face either Penn State or North Carolina in the Sweet 16, and cut short Utah’s chance to make the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in program history.
For the Utes, it’s a bittersweet, thrilling end to an unforgettable season.
“I think it was a great volleyball match,” Launiere said. “Happy with our fans. Great atmosphere, great volleyball.”