UVU Match Notes
OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University volleyball team will take on its second straight in-state opponent on Tuesday night when it heads to Salt Lake City to face the University of Utah. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. at Utah's Crimson Court.
Live video and stats will be available for the match by visiting UtahUtes.com.
The match will mark UVU's second straight against an in-state foe as it previously squared off against No. 10 Brigham Young in Provo as part of the BYU Invitational this past Saturday. In all, the Wolverines went 1-2 at the Invitational with a 3-0 sweep over UMBC and a pair of losses to two top-10 teams in the country as it also fell to No. 5 Washington at the tournament.
Overall, the Wolverines are 1-6 on the season and have already faced four nationally ranked opponents in their first seven matches. Besides BYU and Washington last week, UVU also squared off against No. 22 Kansas and No. 23 Creighton to open the season at the end of August.
Junior middle blocker Lauren Bakker leads the Wolverines on the season with a 3.31 kill per set average, a .270 attack percentage and a 1.12 block per set average. Bakker was recently named to the BYU Invitational All-Tournament Team and was tabbed the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year last month as well.
Freshman setter Sierra Starley leads UVU in assists with a 8.07 per set average while senior libero McKenna Tait paces the squad in digs (4.91 dps) and service aces with eight on the season (0.36 aps).
About Utah
The Utes are 5-0 on the season after picking wins over Cal Poly and Saint Mary's last weekend and winning the Utah Classic in late August (with wins over Missouri State, Montana State and New Mexico State). Utah was picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 this season after tying for seventh with an 9-11 conference record last year.
Chelsey Schofield is leading the Utes in kills on the year with a 3.24 kill per set average and a .248 hitting percentage while Carly Trueman is pacing the team in blocks (1.29 bps).
Tuesday's contest will be the 11th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Utes. Utah leads the series, 9-1, and has won the last three matches.
Up Next for the Wolverines
UVU will head to Denton, Texas, to conclude it season-opening 11-match road stretch at the Mean Green Classic this weekend. The Wolverines will face Jackson State on Friday afternoon before taking on Abilene Christian and host North Texas on Saturday. Following the Classic, UVU will return home to host the La Quinta Inn & Suites Invitational the following weekend.
