CHICAGO – Five players finished with seven or more kills for Utah Valley University volleyball on Saturday afternoon as the Wolverines swept past Chicago State in the Windy City in Western Athletic Conference play (29-27, 25-23, 25-20).
 
Junior Lauren Bakker and sophomore Macky Treanor led the way for UVU (8-11, 3-2 WAC) with 10 kills apiece, while senior Kalani Norris and sophomore Kiahna Steiner each added eight. Fellow sophomore Nakisha Willden chipped in seven of her own kills as well as eight digs while freshmen Madison Wolford and Cydney Lund both recorded season-highs with six blocks and 12 digs, respectively.
 
"The girls played well. It was nice to be able to bounce back after a tough loss to UMKC the other night," said head coach Sam Atoa. "It was a complete team effort, and I was pleased with how well everyone played."
 
In an opening set that featured 17 ties and four lead changes, UVU took a late 26-25 advantage following a Norris kill. The Cougars (6-13, 0-5 WAC) once again managed to tie it up the very next point, but the Wolverines put the set away two points later after back-to-back clutch kills from Bakker.
 
In the second set, Utah Valley scored three unanswered points midway through the frame to take an 18-14 lead following an ace from senior McKenna Tait. CSU rallied down the stretch to pull within one at 24-23, but the Wolverines put the set away the very next point on a Cougar attack error.
 
UVU continued to hold the upper hand in the third set as it jumped out to a 13-6 lead following an ace from freshman Sierra Starley. The Wolverines held the lead from there as they went on to finish off the set by five points and the match on a Treanor kill.
 
As a team, UVU posted a season-high .420 hitting percentage in the match. Individually, Bakker led the way with an .833 percentage, while Wolford and Norris were next with respective averages of .714 and .667.
 
Elli Woinowsky paced the Cougars with a match-high 18 kills.
 
The Wolverines will now return to Orem for three home matches next week. UVU will begin the week in non-conference action on Tuesday night against in-state foe Weber State before returning to conference play to host Grand Canyon on Thursday evening and Bakersfield on Saturday afternoon.