CHICAGO – Despite dropping the first set and trailing late in the second, the Utah Valley University volleyball team managed to turn things around as it went on to defeat Chicago State in four sets on Saturday afternoon in the Windy City (17-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20).
 
UVU improves to 11-13 overall and 7-4 in WAC play with the victory while Chicago State drops to 3-22 on the season and 1-9 in conference play with the setback.
 
"The girls did a nice job. Chicago State played well today, but I was proud of our girls for being able to battle back and show some resiliency," head UVU coach Sam Atoa said. "This was a great team effort and we're excited to come away with a victory."
 
Lexi Thompson paced the Wolverines with her second double-double in as many chances by putting up a team-high 14 kills and 10 digs. She also matched a career-high with six blocks and a service ace. Kiahna Vernon was next for UVU with 12 kills and a career-high tying seven blocks while Madison Dennison rounded out Utah Valley's top performers with 10 kills and a match-high eight block assists. As a team, the Wolverines outblocked the Cougars, 16.0 to 5.0 on the afternoon.
 
With Utah Valley holding to an early 8-7 lead in the opening set, the Cougars got things going thanks to a 7-1 run to take a 14-9 advantage. Utah Valley later pulled to within four, at 18-14, following a 4-1 spurt that was capped by a Nakisha Willden kill. But it wasn't enough, as CSU bounced back with a late 5-1 run of its own to take the first set by a score of 25-17. The set victory marked just the second time in program history that the Cougars have taken a set from the Wolverines.
 
UVU turned things around early in the second game, as it jumped out to a 9-5 lead following a 5-1 spurt. Dennison led the rally with two kills and two block assists. The Cougars immediately responded, however, with a 6-1 run of their own to take an 11-10 advantage. The set then stayed tight from there until CSU managed to reel off another 7-1 spurt to take an 18-14 lead. Trailing by five late, at 21-16, UVU responded with a 6-1 run to deadlock the score at 22-22. Following a Cougar point, UVU completed the comeback with a 25-23 second-set victory thanks to a trio of consecutive CSU attack errors. Thompson paced UVU in the set with four kills while Dennison added four blocks.
 
Chicago State was the first to get things going in the third set, as it opened up an 11-7 lead following a 4-1 spurt. The Wolverines quickly countered back with a 6-1 run of their own to take a 13-12 advantage. The set then seesawed back and forth from there until UVU reeled off a late 5-1 run to take a 21-17 lead. The Wolverines would go on to take the third set on a Thompson kill, at 25-20, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
In a tightly contested fourth set that featured eight ties and four lead changes, the Wolverines were the first to pull ahead at 20-16 thanks to a 6-1 run. Sierra Starley spurred the rally for UVU with an ace, a kill and a block. The Cougars then countered back to pull within three on multiple occasions including at 23-20, but UVU responded with back-to-back points thanks to a Thompson kill and a Dennison and Starley block assist to complete the comeback by taking the fourth and final set by a score of 25-20.
 
With the victory, the Wolverines improve to a perfect 20-0 all-time against the Cougars.
 
The win also marks UVU's seventh in its last nine matches.
 
UVU will now return home for its final non-conference match of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 1 when it welcomes in-state rival Weber State to town. The contest, which will begin at 7 p.m., will mark Utah Valley's first match of the season in the newly renovated PE Building. Following Tuesday's non-conference clash with Weber State, the Wolverines will return to WAC play at Seattle U on Saturday, Nov. 5 before returning home for its final two matches of the regular season against conference foes Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield the following week.