Utah Valley vs. Idaho State
Aug. 30, 2016  |  6:00 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah  |  UCCU Center
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WOLVERINES SET TO HOST IDAHO STATE TUESDAY IN UCCU CENTER
OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University volleyball team will welcome Idaho State to town for its 2016 home opener on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The matchup will be contested in the UCCU Center due to ongoing renovations to the PE Building. 
 
The Wolverines (0-3) will look to bounce back against ISU (0-3) after opening the season with a trio of setbacks at the BYU Invitational last weekend. UVU fell to the host and 13th-ranked Cougars in straight sets (14-25, 14-25, 13-25) in its season opener on Aug. 26 before dropping a pair of three-set matches to Cal Poly (8-25, 24-26, 21-25) and Rice (18-25, 22-25, 17-25) on Aug. 27.
 
Despite suffering the losses, Utah Valley played well at the net at the BYU Invite as it recorded 28 total blocks in the three matches for an average of 3.11 blocks per set. Preseason all-conference selection Madison Dennison led the way by averaging an impressive tally of 2.11 blocks per set while Sierra Starley followed with a per set average of 1.22.
 
Dennison earned BYU Invitational All-Tournament Team honors last weekend after adding a .302 attack percentage and a 2.22 kills per set average to go along with her 2.11 blocks per set clip. Lexi Thompson was next for the Wolverines by averaging an identical 2.22 kills per set average, while freshman Izzie Hinton added a 1.44 kills per set average and a 0.78 blocks per set clip.
 
The contest against Idaho State will not only mark Utah Valley volleyball's first-ever match to be played in the UCCU Center, but also the first of seven matches to be contested at home over the next two and a half weeks.
 
ABOUT IDAHO STATE
The Bengals will come to Orem with an 0-3 record after falling three times at the Utah Classic in Salt Lake City this past weekend. ISU fell to Utah (0-3), Butler (1-3) and Gonzaga (1-3) at the opening tournament. Idaho State was picked to finish fourth in the Big Sky this season after going 23-10 overall in 2015 and taking second in league play with a 13-3 conference record.
 
Former Wolverine Abby Jensen leads the Bengals on the season with 49 kills and a 4.45 kills per set average. Marissa Todd is next with a 3.64 kills per set clip, while Brooke Pehrson paces the team in blocks with a 1.36 per set average.
 
Tuesday's contest will mark the 14th all-time meeting between UVU and ISU. Idaho State will enter play holding a slim 7-6 series lead after having won four straight meeting over the Wolverines.
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
Utah Valley will remain home to host the Wolverine Invitational in the UCCU Center this weekend (Sept. 2-3). UVU will play a trio of matches in the tournament against North Texas, San José State and in-state foe Southern Utah. The Wolverines will first take on UNT on Friday at 7 p.m., before concluding play against SUU (noon) and SJSU (7 p.m.) on Saturday.
 
UVU TO CALL THE UCCU CENTER HOME THIS SEASON
With Utah Valley's PE Building currently being renovated, the Wolverines will play the majority of their 2016 home matches in the UCCU Center. This will mark the first time in program history that the UVU women's volleyball team will call the 8,500-seat UCCU Center home. Construction to the PE Building is currently scheduled to be finished on Oct. 21 (date subject to change) and renovations include a refigured arena, all new seating and a new court.