PROVO, Utah — March 5, 2026 — LOVB Salt Lake (8-5) endured a heart-breaking five-set loss to LOVB Atlanta (20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 18-16) on Thursday night at BYU’s Smith Fieldhouse.
Despite the result, Salt Lake still sits atop the league standings, tied with LOVB Houston.
It was a back-and-forth battle with Atlanta’s Ivonee Montaño earning Player of the Match honors for the second time in a week, recording 22 kills and two blocks. For Salt Lake, Claire Hoffman led the offensive effort with 19 points (15 kills, one ace, three blocks). Heidy Casanova, Alexa Gray, and Roni Jones-Perry each contributed 12 points, while setter Jordyn Poulter orchestrated the attack with 42 assists.
Head coach Tama Miyashiro praised the squad’s resilience despite the outcome. "I told my crew at the end, I'm proud of their fight and their ability to just battle," Miyashiro said. "We didn't get this one, but I think what we're going to see when we watch it back is a really fun battle of switching momentums and teams figuring out each other."
As the league’s competitiveness intensifies, Salt Lake players noted the importance of constant tactical adaptation. Serena Gray highlighted the challenge of facing deep rosters, "It's like, oh, we figured out this player, okay, they're going to sub this person, and then this person's going to kill it,” she said. “This league is extremely competitive. It's hard to get wins."
Salt Lake now faces a quick turnaround as they head back on the road to take on LOVB Nebraska this Saturday, March 7, at 6 p.m. Mountain.
