Aug. 31, 2011
OREM, Utah - Junior Erica Nish posted a match-high 15 kills and eight blocks while sophomore Brookelyn Campbell added 42 assists, another match-high, but UVU fell to Nova KBM Branik, the top professional team from the nation of Slovenia, 3-1 (21-25, 21-25, 25-17, 19-25) in an exhibition match Wednesday night in the Activity Center.
"Brookelyn (Campbell) was sick and there was a chance that she wasn't going play at all tonight," said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. "But it was great to be able to see that connection between Brookelyn and Erica (Nish) because that's what we expect from them and they did a really nice job."
Branik set the tone early, taking a 7-2 lead in the first set. UVU narrowed the gap to 8-6 after kills from senior Sarah Clement and Campbell, but Branik responded with a 12-7 run to make the score 20-13. The Wolverines put forth one last rally, getting as close as 23-18 after back-to-back block assists by Nish and senior Jaicee Kuresa. UVU narrowed the margin to two, but Branik eventually took the set 25-21.
The momentum forged late in the first set continued into the second for UVU as it took an early 4-1 lead, highlighted by kills from senior Chelsey Heaps and Kuresa. But the Slovenians responded with a 9-2 run, eventually growing the lead to as many as eight. Another late rally by UVU, sparked by two kills apiece from Nish and freshman Kalani Norris, saw the Wolverines pull within two, at 22-20, before Branik closed out the set by four points.
After falling behind 2-0 in the third set, the Wolverines took the lead on a kill from Nish and never looked back, winning the set easily 25-17. Nish and Norris led the set with five kills each for UVU. Nish hit an impressive .714 attack percentage while Norris was right behind her at .556. As a whole, the Wolverines outhit Branik .250 to .156 in the set.
In a tightly contested fourth set that saw 13 ties and five lead changes, UVU seemed to be pulling away after countering a 11-10 deficit with a 6-1 run to take a 16-12 advantage. Branik responded with a 13-3 run of their own to finish the match.
"They made a run and we couldn't sideout," said Atoa. "They really stuck it to us with some aggressive serving and, in the second part of the set, they were the better team."
Atoa went to the bench early and often in this exhibition match, as 14 Wolverines made an appearance.
"It was important for us to be able to get some time for the young kids. I want them to have some experience. We are going to need each of these girls to compete and it was nice for me to be able to see them perform since it will help me to prepare for our games later this season."
UVU will host its second tournament in as many weekends when it takes part in the La Quinta Inn and Suites Invitational. Cal Poly and Santa Clara face off in the opening match at 4:30 p.m. in the Activity Center, and UVU is slated to take the court at 7 p.m. against 24th-ranked Michigan. Saturday the Wolverines will face Cal Poly at 12 p.m. and Santa Clara at 7 p.m.
