Sept. 6, 2011
OREM, Utah - Three Wolverines put together career-high performances as UVU swept BYU-Hawai'i (25-19, 25-21, 25-20) Tuesday night in the Activity Center. Solid performances on both the offensive and defensive sides of the net propelled the home team to their sixth win in the first eight matches of the 2011 season.
UVU (6-2) came out firing to begin the match, using aggressive serving and a heavy dose of Erica Nish around the net to put BYU-Hawai'i (3-1) on its heels. The Wolverines jumped out to a quick 13-5 lead after Nish drilled three of her set-high five kills, and Lindsay Barker dropped in two service aces to fuel a 10-2 UVU run. The Seasiders fought hard to keep it close, cutting the deficit to 17-14, but four McKenna Tait aces paced UVU to a comfortable first set win, 25-19. UVU would finish the match with 11 total aces, six of which belonged to Tait -- a season-high.
"We've done very well with our serving for our first eight matches," said a pleased Sam Atoa, UVU's head volleyball coach. "We've got some girls who can serve tough and McKenna really placed the ball where it needed to go. When we've got control of our serves like that, it's pretty tough to defend."
The second set told a similar tale of offensive efficiency for UVU, as it tallied 17 total kills -- 16 of which were assisted by Brookelyn Campbell -- to secure a 25-21 win in the second game. Nish posted another five kills in the frame, Chelsey Heaps added four, and reigning Great West Conference Offensive Player of the Week Jaicee Kuresa tallied three kills of her own.
After a back-and-forth start to the third set, UVU gained some separation after back-to-back kills from Sarah Clement put the Wolverines ahead 15-9. BYU-H reeled off four consecutive points to cut the lead to two and keep the set in the balance, but a 6-1 counter powered by two kills from freshman Cassie Wahlin and another from Nish, proved too much for the Seasiders. Despite having to weather a late rally from the visitors, the Wolverines coasted to a take the third and final set, 25-20. The Wolverines got three kills apiece from Heaps, Barker, Nish, and Wahlin while Campbell chipped in 10 assists.
When it was all said and done, Nish finished with a match and career-high 13 kills. Heaps and Barker chipped in with nine and seven kills respectively. On the defensive side, sophomore Patti Flagg turned in a stellar performance digging out 17 balls.
"Patti's stepping into holes and finding out where she needs to be on the court, and she's really created some great opportunities for us," said Atoa of his young libero.
Tuesday's match concludes a very successful eight match homestand to open the season for the Wolverines. UVU piled up six victories during the stretch, including its last four.
Utah Valley will put that win streak on the line this weekend when it hits the road for the first time in the 2011 season, traveling to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Falcon Invitational on Sept. 9. There, the Wolverines will face host Air Force, Northern Arizona, and South Carolina Upstate.
