Hawai´i Outrigger Resorts Challenge
Sept. 8-10, 2016 | Honolulu, Hawai´i | Stan Sheriff Center
Utah Valley at #14 Hawai´i
Thursday, Sept. 8 | 11 p.m. MT/7 p.m. HT
Live Video |
Live Audio |
Live Stats |
UVU Notes |
UH Notes
Utah Valley vs. #6 Washington
Friday, Sept. 9 | 8:45 p.m. MT/4:45 p.m. HT
Live Stats |
UVU Notes |
UW Notes
Utah Valley vs. Northern Illinois
Saturday, Sept. 10 | 4 p.m. MT/12 p.m. HT
Live Stats |
UVU Notes |
NIU Notes
UTAH VALLEY TO HEAD TO HAWAI´I FOR A TRIO OF MATCHES
OREM, Utah – Fresh off of a 3-0 weekend and a Wolverine Invitational title, the Utah Valley University women's volleyball team will head to Honolulu, Hawai´i, this week for the Hawai´i Outrigger Resorts Challenge. While in the islands, the Wolverines will face-off against the host and 14th-ranked Rainbow Wahine on Thursday, No. 6 Washington on Friday and Northern Illinois on Saturday.
UVU and UH will open the tournament on Thursday at 11 p.m. MT/7 p.m. HT. The contest will be televised by OCSports and streamed live on
BigWest.tv. The Wolverines will then face the Pac-12 Huskies on Friday at 8:45 p.m. MT/4:45 HT before concluding the weekend tournament against NIU on Saturday at 4 p.m. MT/noon HT.
"It will be all business for us. It's all about preparing for UH, Washington and Northern Illinois," head coach
Sam Atoa said. "We're excited for the opportunity to go there and looking forward to giving ourselves a challenge."
The Wolverines (3-4) will enter the weekend tournament off of a perfect 3-0 record at the Wolverine Invitational in Orem last week. UVU defeated North Texas (3-2), in-state foe Southern Utah (3-0) and San José State (3-1) en route to winning the tournament title.
Senior outside hitter
Kiahna Vernon was named the most valuable player of the Wolverine Invite after recording 43 kills (3.58 kps), a .267 hitting percentage, 19 digs (1.58 dps) and seven blocks (0.58 bps). Senior libero
Nakisha Willden and junior setter
Sierra Starley were too named to the all-tournament team after Willden averaged 5.00 digs and 0.83 assists while Starley tallied respective averages of 8.73 assists, 2.36 digs, 1.09 kills, 0.73 blocks and .036 aces.
Vernon paces the UVU offense in kills on the season with a 2.57 per set average while junior middle blocker
Madison Dennison is right behind her with a 2.46 average of her own. Dennison, who was tabbed preseason all-conference for Utah Valley this year, also tops the team in hitting with a .241 clip and blocks with a 1.46 per set average. Her 1.46 blocks per set average is also good enough to lead the WAC and rank her 32nd in the nation in that category.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
Hawai´i will enter Thursday's match with a 3-3 record on the season and ranked 14th in the country nationally. The Rainbow Wahine hold wins over Arizona, Missouri State and Pacific and have suffered losses to No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 8 UCLA and Kansas State. UH went 29-2 a season ago and a perfect 16-0 in Big West Conference play. The 'Bows were once again picked to win their conference this season and are led by volleyball icon Dave Shoji, who is in his 42nd season at the helm of UH women's volleyball. Shoji holds an unprecedented 1,182-201-1 career record and has led Hawai´i to 34 NCAA Tournament appearances and four national championships.
Thursday's matchup will mark just the second all-time meeting between UVU and UH. Hawai´i won the first meeting, 3-0, in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a Utah Valley volleyball match of 6,221 fans on Nov. 15, 2008 in Honolulu.
The sixth-ranked Washington Huskies will come to Honolulu with an unblemished 5-0 2016 record after defeating James Madison, American, WAC foe Seattle U, Idaho and Villanova. The Huskies were picked to finish third in the Pac-12 this season after earning a share of the conference title last year with an 18-2 league mark. UW has made 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and won the 2005 national championship.
Friday's contest against UW will be the third all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Huskies. Washington will enter the contest with a 2-0 series lead after defeating UVU in Seattle in 2003 and in Provo in 2014.
Northern Illinois will enter the weekend with a 5-1 record as it holds wins over DePaul, Loyola Chicago, Bradley, South Dakota State and North Dakota State. NIU's lone loss of the season came to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Aug. 28. The Huskies were picked to win the western division of the MAC this season after going 19-11 overall a season ago and winning the MAC with a 14-2 league record.
Saturday's matchup against NIU will be the second all-time meeting between the Wolverines and the Northern Illinois Huskies. UVU holds a 1-0 series lead after defeating NIU, 3-1, in Indianapolis in 2007.
UP NEXT FOR UVU
Following the conclusion of the tournament, the Wolverines will return home to host in-state rival Utah State on Tuesday, Sept. 13 in the UCCU Center. The contest will be the first of three straight home matches, as UVU will also welcome UNLV and CSUN to town on Sept. 16 and 17, respectively.
