Utah Volleyball secured its seventh sweep of the 2026 season on Friday, Sept. 18, with a 25-11, 25-16, 25-21 victory over Denver at the UNC Invitational in Greeley, Colo. The win extended the Utes' undefeated streak in three-set matches to seven games for the year.
Dominant Opening Against Denver
The victory over Denver marked the second sweep of a weekend for the Utes. In the first set, Utah established an early 4-0 lead, aided by three attack errors from the Pioneers and a kill from Loryn Helgesen. The Utes continued to build their advantage, reaching an 8-1 lead and forcing a Denver timeout. Katelynn Field recorded back-to-back kills during the opening frame, and following two Denver mistakes, Utah moved to a 4-0 run. The Utes reached a 15-7 lead behind a block from Ashley West and DyBorrah Johnson. An ace from Isabella Mogridge helped push the lead to 20-9, and a service error by Denver ended the first set in favor of Utah, 25-11.
Mijacic and Marco Lead Second Set
Utah maintained its momentum in the second set, starting with a 5-1 advantage fueled by two Kamryn Gibadlo kills and three attack errors from Denver. Lana Mijacic recorded back-to-back-to-back kills to help build an 8-3 lead, which quickly expanded into a 12-6 advantage. DyBorrah Johnson added a kill to extend the lead to 20-15. Izzy Marco set a career high with four aces to bring the score to 22-15. A final service error by Denver set up Ashley West for the final kills of the set, resulting in a 25-16 win for the Utes.
Denver Challenges in Final Set
The third set saw the Pioneers attempt a comeback, narrowing Utah's lead to 9-8 after a 3-0 run. However, a kill from Johnson halted the momentum to bring the score to 10-8, followed by an addition from Olga Musial to reach 11-8. Denver managed to tie the set and briefly took a 12-11 lead, marking the first time they led during the match. Musial and Mijacic helped regain the lead for Utah, which entered the media break at 15-12. Following an ace from Langley Griffin to reach 19-16 and a kill from Devyn Wiest, Utah secured the match on a Johnson kill, finishing the set 25-21.
Key Individual Performances
Individual performances were highlighted by several career milestones and team leaders. Lana Mijacic matched her career high with seven kills and a .700 hitting percentage, while also leading the team in kills alongside Kamryn Gibadlo, who also recorded seven kills. DyBorrah Johnson set career highs in kills (5), attempts (11), hitting percentage (.364), and digs (2). Izzy Marco also achieved a career high with four aces. The Utes outpaced Denver 40-24 in kills and maintained a .375-.058 hitting percentage during the match.
Previous Success Against Utah State
The weekend victory followed a mixed performance for the Utes during a previous stretch of matches. As The Daily Utah Chronicle first reported, Utah played two matches over the weekend of Sept. 11-13. On Sept. 11, the Utes defeated Utah State in a three-set sweep with scores of 25-17, 25-19, and 25-23. That victory marked the team's fifth sweep of the season. During that match, Kamryn Gibadlo led the team with 16 kills and a .424 hitting percentage, while Katelynn Field recorded a career-high eight kills and a .636 hitting percentage.
UCLA Match Results
Prior to the Denver sweep, Utah faced UCLA on Sept. 13 at the Huntsman Center. The Utes lost that match 1-3, with set scores of 19-25, 24-26, 25-16, and 17-25. Despite the loss, Utah dominated the third set with a 25-16 victory, their best performance of that match. In the second set, Utah fought back from a deficit to tie the score at 24-24 before UCLA secured the set 26-24. The match concluded with UCLA taking the fourth set 25-17.
Upcoming Tournament Matchup
Utah Volleyball concludes its time at the UNC Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19, against host Northern Colorado. The match is scheduled for a 12 p.m. MT first serve and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
