Utah Valley at New Mexico State
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015   |   7:00 p.m. MT
Las Cruces, N.M.   |   Pan American Center
TV: ESPN3 / Altitude Sports (DirecTV - 681, Dish - 413, Comcast - 61)
WAC Digital Network   |   Live Stats   |   UVU Match Notes  

Utah Valley at UTRGV
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015   |   12:00 p.m. CT
Edinburg, Texas   |   UTRGV Fieldhouse
Live Video   |   Live Stats   
 

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UVU HEADS TO THE SOUTHWEST FOR A PAIR OF WAC MATCHES
OREM, Utah – Fresh off of a sweep over Seattle U at home last weekend, the second-place Utah Valley University volleyball team will hit the road for a pair of crucial Western Athletic Conference matches at New Mexico State and UT Rio Grande Valley this weekend.
 
The Wolverines (8-9, 4-1 WAC) will first challenge the undefeated and first-place NM State Aggies (5-0 WAC) for the top spot in the conference standings on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT in Las Cruces, New Mexico, before heading to Edinburg, Texas, to wrap the trip with a noon CT/11 a.m. MT matchup against the UTRGV Vaqueros (formerly the Texas-Pan American Broncs).
 
UVU will enter Thursday's contest having won three straight matches, as it went a perfect 3-0 during a recent three-match league homestand. The Wolverines picked up a pair of four-set wins over CSU Bakersfield and Grand Canyon two week's ago before sweeping the Redhawks in a battle for second place this past Saturday.
 
In last weekend's sweep over SU, UVU posted a season-high .360 hitting percentage as it breezed past the Redhawks in the first two sets and managed to pull out a tightly contested third one to end the contest early (25-17, 25-16, 26-24). Freshman Abby Jensen led the Wolverines with a match-high 13 kills and a .600 attack percentage, while sophomore Madison Dennison added 11 kills and a career-best .846 hitting clip.
 
Dennison earned WAC Player of the Week honors on Monday after her stellar performance against Seattle U last weekend. Behind her 11 kills on an error-free hitting night (11-of-13), a career-best .846 hitting percentage and a match-high three blocks, the sophomore middle blocker earned the first conference player of the week honors of her career.
 
Senior middle blocker Lauren Bakker paces the Wolverines in both kills and blocks on the season with respective averages of 2.67 and 1.28 per set. Her 1.28 blocks per set average is good enough to lead the WAC and rank her 44th nationally. Bakker also ranks second on the team in hitting (.318), while the current WAC Player of the Week Dennison paces UVU in that category with a .325 clip.
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
The first-place NM State Aggies will enter Thursday's match with a 15-5 overall record and a perfect 5-0 mark in WAC play. New Mexico State has won six straight matches, seven of its last eight and three of its five losses on the season have come to nationally ranked opponents. The Aggies were picked to finish second in the league standings this year after placing second a year ago.
 
Gwen Murphy paces NM State in both kills and hitting with respective averages of 3.44 and .437. Her attack percentage is good enough to rank her second in the league while her kills per set average ranks third.
 
Thursday's contest against NM State will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Aggies. New Mexico State will enter play with a 3-1 series advantage after sweeping both matches last season.
 
UTRGV will enter the week with an 8-11 overall record and tied for sixth in the league standings with a 1-4 WAC clip. The Vaqueros will host Seattle U on Thursday night before welcoming the Wolverines on Saturday. UTRGV will enter the weekend having dropped four of its last five matches and was picked to finish seventh in the WAC this season.
 
Bojana Mitrovic leads the Vaqueros in both kills and digs with respective averages of 4.20 and 2.75 per set. Her 4.20 kills per set average is also good enough to lead the WAC.
 
Despite the new name, Saturday's matchup will mark the 27th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Vaqueros. UVU holds a commanding 25-1 series advantage, including a 10-1 all-time clip in Edinburg and having won 21 straight against UTRGV.
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
The Wolverines will return home next week to continue WAC play against Missouri-Kansas City and Chicago State. UVU will welcome UMKC to the PE Building on Thursday, Oct. 22, before taking on the CSU Cougars on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 24).