Oct. 8, 2011
OREM, Utah -- Brookelyn Campbell tied a career-high with seven block assists while Chelsey Heaps drilled a match-high 12 kills as Utah Valley clinched its third straight Great West Conference win by defeating NJIT in straight sets (25-15, 25-11, 25-20) Saturday afternoon at the Activity Center.
"I thought the girls did an excellent job, we executed really well, and we met a lot of the goals we had set out pre-match," said UVU head volleyball coach Sam Atoa. "It was a great match and a good win for us."
NJIT (6-13, 1-3 GWC) seemed in control to begin the match, jumping out to a 9-5 lead in the early going. But UVU (13-6, 3-0 GWC) took over and pieced together what would prove to be the decisive rally of the first set. With Campbell serving, UVU reeled off ten consecutive points to make the score 15-9. Jaicee Kuresa drilled three kills during the rally while Campbell dropped in three service aces. NJIT would cut the lead to as little as four, but UVU would close out the set on an 8-2 run for a 25-15 opening set win.
Kuresa led the way in the first set with five kills while hitting .556 for the frame and Campbell tallied two kills of her own to go along with eight assists and three aces. The Wolverines outhit the Highlanders .237 to -.026 in the set.
The second set belonged to UVU from the get-go as it raced out a swift 7-1 advantage. Erica Nish and Kuresa combined for two block assists during the run, with the former also smashing two kills. The Wolverines wouldn't let up from there, upping the lead to 15-3 behind the stellar play of Heaps and Sarah Clement. Heaps had three consecutive kills in the rally, and Clement followed it up by combining with Campbell in three straight block assists, and then smashing back-to-back kills.
Heaps would finish with seven kills, while Nish and Clement would add four and three respectively as the Wolverines cruised to a second set win, 25-11. Campbell chipped in 14 assists to go along with her three block assists.
Despite the two set deficit, NJIT was not about to go away easily in the third set, battling UVU point-for-point and taking a 16-14 lead midway through the frame. But behind the strong serving of freshman Kalani Norris, the Wolverines regained the lead and ultimately strung out a rally that would seal their third consecutive Great West Conference victory. Powered by three kills from Heaps, two from Clement, and two more block assists from Nish and Campbell, UVU closed out the set on an 11-4 run, winning 25-20. Clement finished with four kills in the final set while Heaps and Norris added three apiece.
Heaps made the most of her Hometown Hero day, leading the match with 12 kills and a strong .323 attack percentage. From there, Kuresa, Nish, and Clement each added eight kills, while freshman McKenna Tait achieved a new season-high with 18 digs. Campbell's 31 assists and 12 digs gave her a team-leading seventh double-double on the year.
For the match, UVU finished with 11 team blocks, including 20 block assists, to NJIT's three.
"We knew [NJIT] hit the ball really low over the net and we needed to adjust, and the girls adjusted well by getting over and getting to the ball quickly," said Atoa of his team's defensive advantage at the net.
The Wolverines will close out their three game homestand Monday night when Mountain West Conference opponent Boise State comes to the Activity Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and will be broadcast locally on UVU-TV. Fans wearing pink will gain admission for only $1.
