Utah Valley at BYU Invitational
Aug. 26-27, 2016  |  Provo, Utah  |  BYU Fieldhouse

Utah Valley at #13 BYU
Friday, Aug. 26  |  7:00 p.m. MT
TV: BYUtv (Comcast 21/647, Dish 9403, DirecTV 68/374)
Live Video  |  Live Audio  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes

Utah Valley vs. Cal Poly
Saturday, Aug. 27  |  10:00 a.m. MT
Live Stats  |  UVU Notes

Utah Valley vs. Rice
Saturday, Aug. 27  |  5:00 p.m. MT
Live Stats  |  UVU Notes
 

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WOLVERINES OPEN 2016 CAMPAIGN FRIDAY AT BYU
OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University volleyball team will open its 2016 season at neighboring rival BYU this weekend when it takes part in the BYU Invitational at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo. The Wolverines will play a trio of matches at the tournament, beginning with Friday's season opener against the 13th-ranked Cougars.
 
UVU and BYU will face off against one another in the 2016 opener on Friday at 7 p.m. and the contest will be televised live on BYUtv. The Wolverines will then conclude the opening tournament with a pair of Saturday matches against Cal Poly and Rice. Utah Valley will take on Cal Poly that morning at 10 a.m. before wrapping up play against Rice at 5 p.m.
 
"The girls are really anxious to get the season started. We've got a few more things to do to keep preparing for our first competition, but we're excited for the opportunity to open the season at BYU," said 18th-year head coach Sam Atoa. "Our ultimate goal this season is to win the conference and make it to the NCAA Tournament. It's a huge goal of ours and I feel like we have the personnel to achieve that feat this season. We're exited for the challenge that lies ahead and we expect nothing less than to win the conference."
 
The Wolverines return nine letterwinners from last year's team that finished with a 14-14 overall record and tied for third in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 9-5 league mark. UVU also returns three starters from last year's squad in junior middle blocker Madison Dennison, junior setter Sierra Starley and the newly married senior outside hitter/right side Kiahna Vernon (formerly Steiner).  
 
Dennison highlights the group of returning starters, as she was recently named preseason all-conference after leading UVU in hitting percentage a year ago with a .345 clip and finishing second on the team in blocks with a 1.10 per set average. Her .345 attack percentage was also good enough to rank her third in the entire WAC in 2015, while her 1.10 blocks per set average was good enough for fourth. The Pleasant Grove, Utah, native also finished fourth on the team in kills in 2015 with a 1.93 kills per set average. 
 
Despite returning three starters from a year ago, Utah Valley will have some holes to fill in the lineup after losing a trio of mainstays on last year's roster in four-time first team all-conference performer Lauren Bakker, the 2015 WAC Freshman of the Year Abby Jensen and 2014 All-WAC performer Macky Fifita. Atoa will look to a number of returners as well as newcomers to help fill the void and step up on the court this season.
 
"Every year you lose a number of key players, however, that gives certain kids an opportunity to step up. I feel like Madison is going to do that, as she's starting to control her game so much better. Sierra is also going to continue to do a nice job of running the offense for us and we're excited to have our seniors back as well to help lead the way on the court (Kiahna Vernon, Nakisha Willden and Kelcee Munk). And we're also looking forward to seeing what our newcomers will contribute to the team this season as well," Atoa added. 
 
2016 NEWCOMERS
Atoa welcomes six newcomers to the fold this season with a pair of junior college transfers and four freshmen. Junior transfers Marija Martinovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Hutchinson CC) and Brighton Taylor (Bountiful, Utah/Salt Lake CC) will look to make an impact on the court this season and play outside/right side and middle blocker, respectively, while freshmen Izzie Hinton (RS, Fort Worth, Texas/North Crowley HS), Jasmine Niutupuivaha (MB, Hauula, Hawaii/Kahuku HS), Bailey Nixon (OH, Orem, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) and Madi Wardle (S, Wilsonville, Ore./Wilsonville HS) will all vie for playing time as well. 
 
ALL-TIME ON OPENING DAY
Utah Valley is 2-11 in season openers at the NCAA Division I level and 0-3 in true away matches. The Wolverines last opening-season win came on Aug. 26, 2011 when they defeated Illinois State, 3-2, in a five-set battle at home. UVU's other opening day win came on Aug. 28, 2009 when it beat Gonzaga, 3-1, at Weber State's tournament in Ogden. Utah Valley dropped last season's opener to UC Santa Barbara at the Pepperdine Asics Classic in Malibu, California, in straight sets.
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
BYU will enter the season ranked 13th in the nation after making another deep run in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. The 2015 Cougars finished with a 28-4 record, a West Coast Conference championship and had their season come to a close to the eventual national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers in the NCAA Regional Semifinals. Brigham Young returns 12 letterwinners and four starters from last year's squad this season.
 
Friday's contest will mark the 12th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Cougars and BYU controls the series with an 11-0 advantage. Utah Valley has pushed the match to four sets on three occasions, including on Oct. 27, 2009 in Provo.
 
Cal Poly went 19-18 overall a season ago and took third in the Big West with an 11-5 league clip. The Mustangs were again picked to finish third in their conference preseason poll and return nine letterwinners from last year's team.
 
UVU holds a 2-1 all-time record against Cal Poly, which includes a five-set win over the Mustangs at home in 2011 and a four-set win over them in Salt Lake City in 2012. Utah Valley's lone loss to Cal Poly came in 2004 in five sets in Portland.
 
Rice finished with a 21-10 overall ledger in 2015 and took third in the Conference USA with an 11-5 league record. The Owls were picked to finish third again the preseason poll and return 12 letterwinners and five starters.  
 
Saturday's matchup between UVU and Rice will mark the first all-time meeting between the two programs.
 
UP NEXT FOR UTAH VALLEY
The Wolverines will return to Orem for its 2016 home opener on Tuesday, Aug. 30 against Idaho State. The contest will begin at 6 p.m. and will be contested in the UCCU Center due to ongoing renovations to the PE Building. UVU will then stay home to host the Wolverine Invitational Sept. 2-3 against North Texas, Southern Utah and San Jose State.