SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Cal Volleyball team was two points away from a sweep of Utah on Friday but the Utes came all the way back to win a five-set marathon, 22-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 15-11 at the Huntsman Center.

After winning the first two sets, the Bears had a 23-20 lead in the third set but Utah battled back to stay alive.  Cal (8-9, 0-7 Pac-12) led 6-4 in the deciding fifth set before the Utes (12-6, 2-5) scored six in a row to take command.

Cal sophomore setter Alyssa Jensen had a career-high 59 assists, tied for the third-highest single-match total in the Pac-12 this season. Senior outside hitter Christina Higgins had a season-high 23 kills and sophomore libero Maddy Kerr registered 22 digs, her fifth 20-plus dig performance this season.

The Bears got off to a strong start to begin the match, jumping out to leads of 4-0 and 6-1. The Utes ultimately came back to tie it at 21-21, but Cal scored three in a row to put itself in position to take the first set.

The Bears trailed 21-19 in the second set but scored the final six sets to seemingly take command of the match. Sophomore Nikki Gombar served five straight points and Higgins notched two kills during the run.

In the third set, it was Utah getting off to a strong start. The Utes led 4-0 and 6-1 but Cal stormed back to go in front 16-13. After it was tied at 19-19, the Bears scored three in a row, with Higgins getting two kills in the process. The teams exchanged points for a 23-20 Cal lead, but Utah scored four points in succession to take a 24-23 lead. Cal tied it at 24-24 on another kill by Higgins, but back-to-back kills by the Utes closed out the set.

Utah took control of the fourth set early on, breaking a 4-4 tie with an 11-2 run that made it 15-6. The Bears got it as close as 17-12 but the Utes cruised from there.

Freshman outside hitter Christine Alftin added 12 kills for the Bears and junior middle blocker Lillian Schonewise added 11 kills and four blocks.

The Bears return to action Sunday at Colorado at 11 a.m. PT. The match will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.