Nov. 13, 2008
LA'IE, Hawaii - Utah Valley University head women's volleyball coach Sam Atoa returned to his Alma Mater BYU-Hawaii and led his Wolverine squad to a 3-1 win (25-13, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23) against the Seasiders Wednesday night. With the win, UVU improved to 10-11 on the year, and BYU-H fell to 16-8.
"I've had a lot of fun emotions coming back to coach where I started in college," Atoa said. "It was even better that our team played well. Everything turned out the way I hoped it would, and this has been a great experience."
Sophomore Kayli Broadbent led the Wolverines with 13 kills followed by freshman Jaicee Kuresa with 12. Junior Allyce Wilson set a season record with 34 digs in the match, and sophomore Lanni O'Reilly set a career high with 13. Defensively, UVU recorded 13 total team blocks and held BYU-H to a .088 attack percentage.
Utah Valley won the first set 25-13 with four total team blocks and a .273 hitting percentage. The Wolverines then found themselves down 17-19 in the second set, but rallied to regain the lead by winning the next three points in a row. The Seasiders started a rally of their own and tied the match at a set apiece with a 25-22 win.
The third set was just as close as the second, but fell in UVU's favor. The Wolverines were down four points early in the set, but battled to regain a slight advantage at 15-14. The lead changed hands two more times after that point, but UVU took the set 25-23 sealed by a kill from junior Kristin Anderson.
UVU built up a six-point lead midway through the fourth set up 18-12, but BYU-H won seven of the next eight points to tie the set at 19-19. The Wolverines then went on a four-point run, followed by a Seasider three-point run to give UVU a 24-22 advantage. BYU-H would get one more point in the match, but Utah Valley sealed the 3-1 win with a 25-23 victory in the fourth set.
The Wolverines next match will be at the No. 6-ranked University of Hawaii Saturday at 7 p.m. Hawaii time. Utah Valley will then conclude its season hosting the 2008 NCAA Division I Independent Championship Nov. 21-22.
