PROVO, Utah – Cal Poly managed to hold on to a pair of tightly contested sets en route to sweeping the Utah Valley University volleyball team, 3-0, at the BYU Invitational on Saturday morning (25-8, 26-24, 25-21).
 
With the loss the Wolverines drop to 0-2 on the young season, while the Mustangs improve to 2-0 with the victory. 
 
"I was proud that we were able to make the right adjustments, but we just couldn't put that second set away. We gave ourselves an opportunity again in the third set, but it ended with the same result," head coach Sam Atoa said. "I'm hoping that we can learn from these tough situations and be a better team."
 
The Mustangs, who were picked to finish third in the Big West this season, were the first to pull ahead early in the opening set, as they jumped out to a 15-3 lead following a 12-0 run. The Wolverines chipped away at the deficit, but the lead proved to be too much to overcome as Cal Poly went on to take the first set by a score of 25-8.
 
Trailing 6-3 in the second game, UVU got things going by driving home three straight points to tie things up at 6-all. Senior Kiahna Vernon led the spurt with a kill and a block. Utah Valley later tied things up once again, at 15-15, following a pair of kills from Vernon and another from freshman Jasmine Niutupuivaha. The Wolverines then took their first lead of the set at 19-18 after a block assist from juniors Madison Dennison and Sierra Starley. Trailing 23-21, Vernon once again drove home back-to-back kills and Niutupuivaha followed with another kill of her own to give the Wolverines a 24-23 lead. The Mustangs countered right back, however, by scoring the next three points to take the tightly contested set, 26-24.
 
The Wolverines took the upper hand in the third set, as they jumped out to an 8-4 advantage following a kill from freshman Izzie Hinton, a block assist from Starley and Niutupuivaha, an ace from freshman Madi Wardle and a kill from junior Lexi Thompson. Cal Poly battled right back, though, with eight consecutive points of its own to take a 12-8 lead. Utah Valley then pieced an 8-2 run to regain a 17-16 lead. Play at the net was what sparked the rally, as UVU recorded four blocks during the stretch. With the set all knotted up at 20-20, the Mustangs once again regained control by reeling off a timely 5-1 run to finish off the sweep.
 
Vernon led the Wolverines in the match with nine kills, while Hinton and Dennison each finished right behind her with eight. Dennison led the way at the net by tying her career-high in blocks with nine, while Starley handed out a team-high 20 assists and six blocks.
 
Adlee Van Winden paced the Mustangs with a match-high 12 kills while her teammate Raeann Greisen added 11.
 
Despite suffering the loss, UVU managed to double up the Mustangs in blocks (12-6).
 
The contest marked UVU's second of the weekend and of the season, as it previously fell to the host and 13th-ranked BYU Cougars in straight sets on Friday.
 
The BYU Invitational will conclude on Saturday at 5 p.m. when the Wolverines take on Rice at BYU's Smith Fieldhouse. Following the conclusion of the opening tournament, UVU will return to Orem to welcome Idaho State to town on Tuesday, Aug. 30 for its 2016 home opener. The match will begin at 5 p.m. in the UCCU Center.
 
"We're hoping to come back tonight and execute better. Our hitting percentage has been horrendous, and we're not going to win ballgames unless we can put the ball away," concluded Atoa.