Provo • Utah’s volleyball team could almost see the wisps of a 2018 Final Four appearance coming off the Illinois players lined up across the net during the teams’ opening match of the NCAA Tournament. The Illini had just been where the Utes want to go, and now served as a speed bump along their route.
The Utes rallied back from two straight extra-point losses to claim Friday’s match at Smith Fieldhouse on the BYU campus, 25-23, 24-26, 25-27, 25-23, 15-10. The victory could set up a much-anticipated second-round rematch against BYU on Saturday at 7 p.