Utah Valley vs. Missouri-Kansas City
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015  |  7 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah   |   PE Building
WAC Digital Network  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Match Notes

Utah Valley vs. Chicago State
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015  |  1 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah   |   PE Building
WAC Digital Network  |  Live Stats  
 

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WOLVERINES RETURN HOME TO HOST UMKC THURSDAY, CSU SATURDAY
OREM, Utah – Fresh off of a 1-1 outing on the road last week, the Utah Valley University volleyball team will return to the PE Building this weekend to begin its second half of conference play against Missouri-Kansas City and Chicago State. The Wolverines and Kangaroos will do battle on Thursday at 7 p.m., while UVU will take on CSU on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Both matches can be seen live on the WAC Digital Network and will also feature live stats by visiting UVUStats.com.
 
"I'm really proud of where our team is at as we get ready to start the second half of the conference season," head coach Sam Atoa said. "These matches are all huge for us. UMKC is an experienced team that is very fast. Our challenge will be to stop their quick attack, which will in turn create opportunities for us. And I'm confident that we will be up to the task."
 
The Wolverines (9-10) will enter the weekend remaining in second place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 5-2 league record after splitting a pair of road matches last week. UVU first dropped a four-set contest at the first-place and undefeated New Mexico State Aggies on Thursday before wrapping its trip with a four-set victory over UT Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, on Saturday.
 
Despite suffering the setback to the first-place Aggies, UVU has still won four of its last five and five of its last seven matches to sit in second place in the conference standings.
 
Freshman Abby Jensen paced the Wolverines offensively last week with a total of 29 kills and a 3.62 per set average in the two matches. Jensen recorded a team-high 13 kills against the Aggies, before topping that with a match-high 16 en route to the four-set win over the Vaqueros on Saturday.    
 
Senior Lauren Bakker leads the Wolverines on the season in kills (181), hitting (.319) and blocks (87). She also leads the WAC and ranks 47th nationally in blocks per set with an average of 1.26.
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
UMKC will come to Orem with an 11-8 overall record and in third place in the league standings with a 4-3 WAC clip. The 'Roos have won two of their last three matches, with wins over Chicago State and Grand Canyon before falling to CSU Bakersfield in a five-set battle in Kansas City last weekend. Missouri-Kansas City won the conference last season with a 12-2 clip and was picked to repeat once again this season.
 
Sydney Crimmins paces the Kangaroo offense with an average of 2.89 kills per set and a .339 attack percentage. Her .339 hitting clip is good enough to rank her fourth in the WAC.
 
Thursday's contest will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the Wolverines and 'Roos. UVU will enter play with a 3-2 advantage despite falling to UMKC in five sets in Kansas City last month.
 
Chicago State will enter the weekend at 1-20 overall and 0-7 in conference play. CSU will head to the Emerald City to face Seattle U on Thursday prior to traveling to Orem for Saturday's matinee. The Cougars have dropped eight straight matches and recorded their lone win of the season over in-state foe Western Illinois in non-conference play on Sept. 19.
 
Elli Woinowsky leads the Cougars offensively with a 3.15 kills per set average and is third on the team in digs with a 1.89 per set clip.
 
Saturday's meeting with CSU will mark the 18th all-time matchup between the Cougars and Wolverines. UVU will enter the contest with a perfect 17-0 all-time clip, which includes an unblemished 7-0 record at the PE Building.
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
The Wolverines will step out of conference play to face Weber State in Ogden on Monday night (Oct. 26) for their final non-conference contest of the season. Following Monday's in-state battle, UVU will remain on the road to head to Phoenix and Bakersfield to face GCU next Thursday (Oct. 29) and CSUB next Saturday (Oct. 31).