UTAH VALLEY vs. UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Thursrday, Oct. 11  |  6 p.m. MT
Lockhart Arena   |  Orem, Utah
WAC Digital Network  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  UTRGV Notes  |  Tickets
 

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WOLVERINES HOST FIRST-PLACE UTRGV ON THURSDAY AT LOCKHART ARENA
OREM, Utah – Fresh off of a pair of WAC road victories last week, the Utah Valley University volleyball team returns home this week to host the first-place UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros on Thursday evening at Lockhart Arena. 
 
The contest – which will mark UVU's lone match of the week – will be begin at 6 p.m. MT and will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. Live stats will also be available for Thursday's conference clash by visiting UVUStats.com. 
 
The Wolverines will enter Thursday's match with a 10-9 overall record and a 2-4 clip in league play after defeating both Seattle U and Grand Canyon on the road last week. After snapping a six-match skid with a hard fought five-set victory over the Redhawks in Seattle, UVU capped the week with a 3-0 sweep over GCU in Phoenix on Saturday. 
 
Saturday's victory over the Antelopes marked head coach Sam Atoa's 400th career victory. In 20 seasons as UVU's head coach, Atoa has compiled a 400-230 career record and a solid .635 winning percentage. He also holds a 262-199 record in 16 seasons at the NCAA Division I level (.568) and a 138-31 mark during his four seasons of coaching during UVU's NJCAA era (.817). Atoa is also Utah Valley's winningest active coach of any sport, as well as the school's winningest coach at the NCAA Division I level.
 
Freshman Kazna Tarawhiti led UVU in the win over GCU with a 11 kills and a season-high seven blocks, while Jasmine Niutupuivaha folled with eight kills and a match-high eight blocks. Makaila Jarema too added eight kills and six blocks, while Alexis Davies added six blocks of her own and Madi Wardle tallied a double-double with 17 assists and 12 digs. 
 
For the week, Tarawhiti led the way offensively with a 3.38 kills per set average while Kristen Allred followed with a 2.88 kills per set clip on .269 hitting. Niutupuivaha and Jarema topped the team at the net with respective blocks per set averages of 1.57 and 1.38 per set. 
 
On the season, Tarawhiti tops the team and the WAC in kills with a total of 312 and an even 4.00 kills per set average. Tarawhiti also ranks 11th nationally in points (349.0), 13th in total kills, 13th in total attacks (860), 47th in attacks per set (11.03) and 49th in kills per set. Allred is next for UVU offensively by ranking fourth in the WAC with 247 kills and eighth with a 3.13 kills per set clip. Jarema tops the team and the WAC in blocks with a 1.48 blocks per set average. 
 
As a team, the Wolverines will enter Thursday's match ranked fourth in the nation in total blocks with 203.5 on the season and 34th in blocks per set (2.54). 
 
ABOUT UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY
UTRGV will come to Orem with a 14-6 overall record and currently leading the WAC with a 5-1 league record. After dropping their conference opener at CSU Bakersfield, the Vaqueros have since won five straight with victories over California Baptist, GCU, Seattle U, Chicago State and UMKC. UT Rio Grande Valley also previously defeated No. 15 Baylor in Waco on Sept. 8. The Vaqueros were picked to finish second in the WAC this season after earning a second-place finish in league play last season at 10-4 as well as runner-up honors at the 2017 WAC Tournament. 
 
The reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Week Ragni Steen Knudsen leads UTRGV on the season and ranks second in the WAC with a 3.74 kills per set average. Talita Oliverira is tops on the team at the net with a 1.02 blocks per set clip, while Alexandra Ecker is right behind her with a 0.87 blocks per set average and leads the team with a .362 hitting percentage. 
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UTRGV
Thursday's meeting will mark the 36th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and the Vaqueros. UVU holds a 28-7 all-time lead and a 15-3 series advantage in Orem. After winning 26 of the first 27 matches in the series history against UTRGV, Utah Valley has since went just 1-6 over the last seven meetings. 
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
After Thursday's match, the Wolverines will be off until the following week when it will return to the road for conference matches at New Mexico State and UTRGV. UVU will first face the second-place NM State Aggies on Thursday, Oct. 18 in Las Cruces, before closing the trip with another contest against the Vaqueros on Saturday, Oct. 20 in Edinburg. Following the trip, the Wolverines will then return home to host Seattle U on Thursday, Oct. 25. 
 
FIVE-SET THRILLERS
UVU had a string of consecutive five-set thrillers come to a close at five in a three-set sweep over GCU last Saturday. After dropping the first four, the Wolverines responded by winning the fifth in a hard fought 3-2 victory at Seattle U. During the stretch, the Wolverines also played nine out of 10 matches in the full five sets and a total of 10 on the season. On the year, UVU holds a 4-6 record in five-set contests with road victories over NC State of the ACC, GCU, Appalachian State and Campbell.