OREM, Utah – Senior middle blocker Lauren Bakker became the fourth Wolverine in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills in Utah Valley University's 3-1 win over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in WAC volleyball action on Thursday at the PE Building (23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-12). With the win, UVU improves to 14-12 overall and remains tied for second place in the conference standings with just one match to play with a 9-4 league record.   
 
Bakker was one of three Wolverines to finish in double figures in kills in the contest, as she recorded 10 kills and six blocks. Sophomore Madison Dennison led the way for UVU in the match with 13 kills and a .611 hitting percentage, while freshman Abby Jensen notched 11. Sophomore setter Sierra Starley finished one dig shy of a double-double with 32 assists and nine digs while junior Kiahna Steiner chipped in nine kills and a match-high seven blocks.
 
"We had a little moment in that second set when we started to own it and began to play our game," head coach Sam Atoa said. "The girls did a nice job of being able to stay composed from there on."
 
Bakker not only became just the fourth Wolverine in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills, but the first to join the 1,000-career kill, 500-career block club as she currently has 1,008 career kills and 573 career blocks during her standout four-year career at UVU.
 
"Lauren is a humble kid that doesn't really care about stats. She is truly a team player," Atoa added. "I don't know that there are any words that can explain how much Lauren means to our program. It has been a privilege and an honor to coach her for these past four years. Not only is she a great athlete, but she is also a delightful person."
 
After dropping a tightly contested opening set by two points, UVU got things going late in the second game. With the Wolverines trailing by a score of 21-19, a Dennison kill sparked a late Utah Valley rally. UVU would go on to score six straight points during the stretch to take the second frame by a score of 25-21 to tie the match at 1-1. Jensen led the Wolverines in the set with six kills, as UVU outhit UTRGV (11-17, 4-9 WAC) .364 to .216 in the frame.
 
Trailing by a point early in the third set, Utah Valley got things going by reeling off an 8-0 run to take a 14-7 advantage. UVU later stretched its lead to as many as 10, including a 24-14 set-point lead, but back came the Vaqueros with four consecutive points of their own to make it 24-18. Sophomore Lexi Thompson helped the Wolverines put the set away on the next point, however, with a decisive kill.
 
With UVU holding to just a two-point lead at 14-12 midway through the fourth set, the Wolverines managed to piece together the final 11 points of the match to put the fourth game away by a score of 25-12. Bakker led the final spurt with two kills and two blocks while fellow seniors Jaramey Barney and Megan Jenkins capped the match with a block assist.
 
As a team, UVU outhit the Vaqueros .256 to .062 as well as recorded 9.5 more team blocks on the night (15.5-6.0).  
 
The Wolverines will close their regular season against the 2015 WAC champion and undefeated New Mexico State Aggies (13-0 WAC) on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the PE Building. The match will mark Senior Day for Utah Valley, as Bakker, Barney and Jenkins will all be honored prior to first serve.  
 
"It seems like it comes down to our last match every year. Not only is it Senior Day, but it is also huge for us as it includes seeding ramifications for the upcoming WAC Tournament," added Atoa. "We just have to control our emotions and be ready to compete on Saturday."