RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Behind strong play down the stretch in each of the three sets, the Utah Valley University volleyball team managed to hand the first-place California Baptist Lancers a 3-0 setback on Thursday evening at CBU's Van Dyne Gym in Riverside (25-23, 25-20, 29-27). 
 
With the big victory, the Wolverines improve to 13-11 overall and 5-6 in WAC play, while the first-year WAC foe Lancers fall out of first in the league standings as they drop to 19-7 and 9-4 in conference play. 
 
"We've got a good team and the girls did a great job. I'm really happy for them, especially with the challenges that we've had in the past in those two-point games," head UVU coach Sam Atoa said. "Tonight, we were the better team. I was very pleased with how we managed to stay poised in those situations and it was great to win those battles. This was a huge victory for us, and I'm proud of the team for managing to come here and pick up the win away from home." 
 
Sophomore Kristen Allred paced the UVU attack in the contest with a match-high 16 kills on .282 hitting. She also finished just one dig shy of a double-double with nine. Freshman Kazna Tarawhiti was next for the Wolverines by compiling 11 kills, while fellow freshman Kaili Downs added seven. Junior Makaila Jarema led the way at the net with a match-high six blocks and junior Madi Wardle recorded the lone double-double of the contest with a team-high tally of 24 assists and 10 digs. 
 
The first-place Lancers got off to a fast start in the opening set, as they jumped out to an early 13-8 advantage. Trailing 16-11, UVU then managed to drive home back-to-back-to-back points to make it a two-point set at 16-14. Down 22-19, the Wolverines then made a late move by scoring six of the final seven points of the set to earn a 25-23 come-from-behind opening-set victory. Tarawhiti had a block and a kill during the final spurt, while sophomore Seren Merrill managed to place in a pair of key service aces. 
 
In a tightly contested second set, UVU managed to build a 16-14 lead following a Tarawhiti ace and kill from senior Alexis Davies. With the Wolverines later holding to a slight 18-17 advantage, Utah Valley picked up back-to-back kills from Davies and Allred followed by a CBU attack error to take a 21-17 lead. The Lancers then struck back, however, with three unanswered points of their own to make it 21-20, but back responded UVU with four straight to take set number two by a score of 25-20. The freshman Downs capped the late spurt with consecutive kills. 
 
With Utah Valley trailing 17-16 in the third game, the Wolverines then reeled off a key 4-0 run to take a 20-17 lead. Sophomore Jaysa Funk Stratton buried home an ace during the stretch while Jarema and Allred each added kills. Following a Jarema and Downs block assist and a Tarawhiti kill, the Wolverines then held a 24-21 match-point advantage, but back battled the home Lancers with three unanswered points to deadlock the match at 24-24. In extra points, CBU then held a 26-25 set-point lead, but back responded UVU with an Allred kill to tie things up again at 26-26. Then trailing 27-26, the Wolverines managed to drive home back-to-back-to-back points to win the match over the first-place Lancers in straight sets. Allred had a kill during the final spurt along with a final block assist, as she teamed up with Jarema for the final point of the evening. 
 
As a team, UVU managed to outhit (.248 - .174) and outblock (10.0 - 5.0) California Baptist on the evening. 
 
The contest marked Utah Valley's second of the season against CBU, as it previously dropped a hard fought five-set thriller to the Lancers back in Orem on Sept. 27.  
 
At 5-6 in league play, UVU now sits in fifth in the conference standings with five matches to play. 
 
The Wolverines will now return home for another key WAC match when it welcomes the three-time defending WAC champion New Mexico State Aggies to town on Saturday afternoon. First serve for the Saturday matinee is scheduled for 1 p.m. at UVU's Lockhart Arena. NM State will enter the contest currently in third place in the league standings, but just a half a game out of first with an 8-3 conference record.  
 
"We'll look to use this momentum and hope that it will carry over to Saturday," Atoa added. "We're excited to get back home and are looking forward to another battle against New Mexico State."