CHICAGO – Head Utah Valley University volleyball coach Sam Atoa recorded his 350th career victory on Thursday night as he led his Wolverines to a 3-0 sweep over Chicago State in the 2015 Western Athletic Conference opener (25-20, 25-18, 25-21).
 
UVU (5-8, 1-0 WAC) outhit the Cougars (1-13, 0-1 WAC), .286 to .120, and recorded six more team blocks than CSU (11-5) en route to the victory.
 
"It was a nice to open conference play with a victory tonight," said Atoa. "The girls had great control of the game and I was very pleased with the way that we performed on both sides of the net." 
 
Senior Lauren Bakker and sophomore Lexi Thompson paced the Wolverines in the contest as they combined to record 22 kills. Bakker recorded a match-high 12 kills, while Thompson put up 10. The two also added five blocks apiece while freshman Abby Jensen finished two kills shy of a double-double with eight kills and 10 digs.
 
The Wolverines got off to a solid start in their 2015 WAC opener as they jumped out to a 15-7 advantage in the opening set following an 8-1 run. The Cougars tried to stage a late comeback in they frame as they pulled within three, at 23-20, but UVU countered with back-to-back points to put the opener away by five points.
 
The second set remained tight until Utah Valley used a 5-1 spurt to take a 15-10 lead. The Wolverines held onto their advantage from there as they went on to take the second game by a score of 25-18.
 
UVU once again held the upper hand in the third set, taking a commanding 21-11 advantage following a CSU attack error. The Cougars made it interesting down the stretch, however, thanks to a 7-1 run, but the Wolverines would score three of the final five points to put the set and the match away.
 
With the win, Atoa improves his career record to 350-185 in 17 seasons as the head coach at Utah Valley. He also improves his NCAA Division I record to 212-154 in 13 DI seasons.
 
"I never really look at where we are at as far as wins and losses," added Atoa. "and am more focused on helping each of the girls in our program get a little bit better so that we can reach our goals. That's the challenge that we have every single day, and my focus is set on helping the girls improve."
 
The Wolverines will continue their conference-opening road trip at the defending WAC champion Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's matinee is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT at UMKC's Swinney Recreation Center.
 
"Saturday's match is going to be really tough. UMKC is playing great ball right now, so preparation is going to be key for us," concluded Atoa. "I'm confident in the girls, however, in knowing what they need to do to prepare for the next match."