SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah beach volleyball team competed at home for the first time in the history of the program on Saturday, where the Utes split its matches at Ute Beach in Salt Lake City. Utah won a thriller against Colorado Mesa to open the day, but later fell to Boise State in the last match of the home tournament.
 
Utah's win against Colorado Mesa gives the Utes five wins this year, which matches the program's record for wins in a season. Following Saturday's split, Utah is now 5-7 on the season with one weekend of matches left.
 
Utah 3, Colorado Mesa 2
Despite a morning that consisted of raking the snow off the courts and chilly temperatures at Ute Beach, the Utes were ready to play at home for the first time in front of their home crowd. Colorado Mesa opened the match winning the first point of the dual at the No. 5 position, but Utah's No. 3's of Lauren Sproule and Jessica Villela tied the dual 1-1 after they posted straight set wins.
 
Sproule/Villela went to the wire in the first set and an ace from Villela clinched the victory in extra points. Another tight set ensued, but Sproule/Villela pulled away at the end to get the first point of the dual for Utah. Shortly after, Colorado Mesa took the match at the No. 4 position and retook the lead 2-1.
 
Utah's No. 1 pair of Dani Drews and Tawnee Luafalemana cruised to a straight set victory over Colorado Mesa's top pair and evened the dual 2-2. Drews/Luafalemana looked solid the entire match and posted dominant wins 21-11, 21-13.
 
The match against Colorado Mesa came down to the No. 2 pairs of Kenzie Koerber/Megan Yett and Macie Lachemann/Samantha Ritter. Koerber/Yett dropped the first set 23-21, in a set that went back-and-forth the whole way through. In the second set, the Utes led 16-12 and went on to score five unanswered points to send the match to a decisive third set.
 
All eyes were on the No. 2's as the match came down to the wire in the third set. Koerber/Yett found themselves down 9-6 on the side switch, but eventually evened the set 13-13 following a huge block from Koerber. The next point, Koerber connected for a kill to give Utah match point. Yett then clinched the victory for Utah with a shot to the sideline.
 
Boise State 4, Utah 1
The No. 4 and No. 5 pairs opened the match for both teams and would split the first two sets on both courts, sending the courts to third sets. Utah's duos both fell 15-12 in the third sets and fell behind in the dual 2-0.
 
Sproule and Villela dropped a back-and-forth first set 25-23 in the No. 3 slot, and the second set turned out to be another tight one. Utah found themselves at set point, 20-16, but Boise State went on to score five straight points and take the lead 21-20. Sproule/Villela battled until the end, but ultimately fell 24-22 and Boise State clinched the dual 3-0.
 
Utah's No. 1 pair of Drews and Luafalemana capped their home debut with a win over Boise State's top pair to go 2-0 on Saturday. In the first set, the Utes led throughout, but Boise State wouldn't go away. Leading 19-18, Drews notched back-to-back kills to put away the Broncos in the first set.
 
Tied 11-11 in the second set, Drews/Luafalemana scored five straight points to take the lead 16-11. Boise State chipped away and cut the lead to just 19-18, but a missed serve from the Broncos gave the Utes set point, 20-18. Boise State battled back and the teams had to go to extra points to determine the outcome. Tied 24-24, Luafalemana tapped one over for a kill and Drews served an ace to close out the set and win 26-24.
 
The Utah beach volleyball team will travel to Los Angeles to compete in the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships on Thursday, April 25. The three-day conference tournament will be held at Merle Norman Stadium.
 
Utah 3, Colorado Mesa 2
1. Dani Drews/Tawnee Luafalemana (Utah) def. Portia Valadez/Katie Scherr (CMU) 21-11, 21-13
2. Kenzie Koerber/Megan Yett (Utah) def. Macie Lachemann/Samantha Ritter (CMU) 21-23, 21-12, 15-13
3. Lauren Sproule/Jessica Villela (Utah) def. Lindy Dixon/Hailey Crane (CMU) 22-20, 21-18
4. Holly Schmidt/Ara Norwood (CMU) def. Phoebe Grace/Olivia Teerlink (Utah) 21-19, 21-19
5. Magdalena Dabrowski/Kerstin Layman (CMU) def. Kinga Windisch/Keana Smalls (Utah) 12-21, 21-19, 15-11
Exh. Rachael Perrine/Hannah Bokal def. Alexa Van Komen/Emily Tucker 17-21, 21-17, 15-13
Order of finish: (5, 3, 4, 1, 2)
 
Boise State 4, Utah 1
1. Dani Drews/Tawnee Luafalemana (Utah) def. Janell Walley/Kendra Bodine (BSU) 21-18, 26-24
2. Morgan Hughes/Sabryn Roberts (BSU) def. Kenzie Koerber/Megan Yett (Utah) 15-21, 21-14, 15-6
3. Jensen Allen/Ellie McDonald  (BSU) def. Lauren Sproule/Jessica Villela (Utah) 25-23, 24-22
4. Kylee Johnson/Kiley Lewis (BSU) def. Phoebe Grace/Olivia Teerlink (Utah) 21-18, 20-22, 15-12
5. Maya Watkins/Kenna Hanses (BSU) def. Kinga Windisch/Keana Smalls (Utah) 18-21, 21-17, 15-12
Exh. Alexa Van Komen/Kinga Windisch (Utah) tied Alyssa Wissinger/Drew Hannemann (BSU) 21-19 BSU, 15-9 Utah
Order of finish: (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)