PLEASANT GROVE, Utah – Madison Dennison notched a career-high 17 kills to lead Utah Valley University to a 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20) win over Seattle University on Saturday.
 
The match was played at Pleasant Grove High School -- where Dennison once starred as a prep athlete -- due to Utah Valley University's annual Scholarship Ball at the UCCU Center and ongoing construction in the PE Building.
 
Utah Valley (7-11, 3-2) and Seattle U (9-9, 2-3) entered the day among two other WAC teams at 2-2 in league play. The Wolverines are now tied for second in the league standings along with UT Rio Grande Valley and UMKC.
 
"We're getting better at the basics. It's fun to be able to continue to see us improve each week," said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. "Madison's never played in this gym but it was great for her to be able to do that here. She brings that every single day to practice and competition and I love the way she plays this game."
 
Dennison had three kills during a 6-0 run that turned a 9-5 lead into a 15-5 advantage in the decisive fourth set. The Redhawks would get within four points but not until the Wolverines were a point away from taking the match. Dennison put an exclamation point on the day, scoring the match's final point on kill No. 17.
 
"It felt like home. I live just five minutes away and the atmosphere was great. It felt good," Dennison said. "This was a big match and Seattle's been a team that we've struggled with in the past so this was a good win."
 
Kiahna Vernon and Lexi Thompson both added 13 kills for Utah Valley while Sierra Starley finished with 47 assists and Nakisha Willden chipped in a match-high 30 digs. Dennison also had two solo blocks, four block assists and a solid .387 attack percentage.
 
Holding a 13-10 lead midway through the opening set, UVU scored four quick points to build a seven-point advantage and force an SU timeout. The Redhawks closed within three, 18-15, before a 6-0 run -- featuring a pair of Thompson aces -- gave the Wolverines a 24-15 lead. Seattle made a late charge, scoring five straight to get within four before Utah Valley closed it out with Dennison's seventh kill of the set.
 
Seattle U evened the match, taking the second set, 25-22. Vernon had six kills in the set for the Wolverines, who trailed by a point, 23-22, before the Redhawks scored twice to tie it at 1-1.
 
In the third set, UVU used a 5-0 spurt -- part of an 8-2 run -- to take a 21-13 lead. Seattle U responded with its own run of five straight points to make it a three-point game, at 21-18. It was 22-18 when Mila Duarte recorded back-to-back kills before an ace by Shae Harris pulled the Redhawks within a point, forcing a Wolverine timeout.
 
Out of the timeout, Kelcee Munk had a kill before a block by Jasmine Niutupuivaha and Vernon pushed the lead back to three, 24-21. Munk finished it two points later with another kill to give Utah Valley a 2-1 lead.
 
With the victory, the Wolverines capped their three-match homestand by going a perfect 3-0 with wins over SU, Chicago State and UMKC.  
 
Utah Valley hits the road in WAC play next week with games at CSU Bakersfield (Oct. 13) and Grand Canyon (Oct. 15). The next home match will be on Thursday, Oct. 20 against defending champion and preseason favorite New Mexico State in the UCCU Center.