Salt Lake Community College women’s volleyball, currently ranked No. 8 in the NJCAA, have faced one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the country.
Three of the six Bruin losses occurred against Miami Dade, Florida Southwest State, and New Mexico Military Institute — the top three teams nationally. Some of these challenging defeats took place during the UFirst Intermountain Invitational Sept. 12-14 at the Taylorsville Redwood campus.
In their opening match vs. No. 3 NMMI, SLCC fell in three sets, 19-25, 23-25, 20-25. Fuka Kikuchi stood out for the Bruins, contributing 12 kills, while Myka Christensen tallied 33 assists in the loss Sept. 12.
The following day, the Bruins secured a four-set victory against No. 7 Weatherford College. After splitting the first two sets, the Bruins trailed 21-24 in the third set but mounted a comeback win with a set score of 28-26. Salt Lake clinched the match with a final set score of 25-22.
Sophomore Bella Berensen led the Bruins with eleven kills, despite only participating in the last two sets of the match. Salt Lake also showcased their serving strength, scoring a total of 18 aces, with sophomore Logan Lindsay leading the category with six.
In the final match of the invitational on Sept. 14, the Bruins were defeated by the No. 9 Trinity Valley Cardinals in five sets.
SLCC struggled in the first set against the Cardinals, losing 18-25. The team trailed by as many as five points in the second set, rallying to tie the score at 23 before falling 24-26.
However, the Bruins rebounded in sets three and four, winning both by the score 25-21, which set the stage for a decisive tie-break.
After SLCC opened the fifth set with a 5-3 lead, the Cardinals recovered to win the tiebreaker, 15-10.
Christensen, a freshman, led the Bruins with 50 assists against Trinity Valley and earned UFirst Intermountain Invitational All-Tournament team honors.
Sophomore Addy McArthur gave a standout performance, leading SLCC with 23 points, including 19 kills and three service aces. Havi Montano contributed three service aces, and Lindsay added 13 kills.
The following week, on Sept. 19, the Bruins overpowered conference rival Western Wyoming Community College in five sets in Rock Springs. Montano produced a strong all-around performance, logging a team-high 19 kills and 17 digs while also collecting three blocks and two aces. Christensen again contributed 50 assists in the road win.
SLCC continues their schedule on the road this weekend against in-state rivals, beginning with Utah State University Eastern in Price on Friday, followed by Snow College in Ephraim on Saturday. The Bruins then return to the Taylorsville Redwood campus Oct. 4 to play College of Southern Idaho at 6 p.m.
