UTAH VALLEY vs. CSU BAKERSFIELD
Thursday, Nov. 15  |  6 p.m. MT
Lockhart Arena  |  Orem, Utah
WAC Digital Network  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  CSUB Notes  |  Tickets

UTAH VALLEY vs. GRAND CANYON
Saturday, Nov. 17  |  1 p.m. MT
Lockhart Arena  |  Orem, Utah
WAC Digital Network  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  GCU Notes  |  Tickets
 

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OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University volleyball team will close its regular season this week by hosting fellow Western Athletic Conference foes CSU Bakersfield and Grand Canyon. 
 
The Wolverines will first welcome CSUB to town on Thursday for a 6 p.m. contest, before capping their regular season with Senior Day on Saturday at 1 p.m. against GCU. Both matches will be held at UVU's Lockhart Arena and will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. Live stats will also be available for both contests by visiting UVUStats.com.
 
UVU (15-12, 7-7 WAC) will enter the week having secured a berth in next week's WAC Volleyball Tournament after sweeping Chicago State in the Windy City on Nov. 10. Following a tightly contested four-set setback to the now first-place UMKC Kangaroos on Nov. 8 in Kansas City, the Wolverines responded nicely by claiming a three-set victory over Chicago State last Saturday to secure themselves a spot in the WAC Tournament. 
 
With last Saturday's victory, UVU has now won four of its last five matches with victories over the three-time defending WAC champion New Mexico State Aggies, the then first-place California Baptist Lancers, Seattle U and CSU. 
 
In last Saturday's victory over Chicago State, freshman Kazna Tarawhiti again led the way with a team-high 13 kills on .235 hitting. Sophomore Bailey Nixon too had a nice outing for the Wolverines with a career-high eight kills, while senior Alexis Davies and juniors Makaila Jarema and Jasmine Niutupuivaha all had six. Jarema again led the way at the net with five blocks, while Seren Merrill tallied an impressive 25 digs in just three sets of action and Madi Wardle added another double-double with 19 assists and 12 digs. 
 
The victory helped avenge an earlier season loss to CSU, as the Cougars previously defeated UVU for the first time in 24 tries in five sets in Orem in September. 
 
Tarawhiti earned WAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Monday after leading UVU last week with an average of 4.86 kills in a pair of matches on .225 hitting. The freshman recorded a match-high 21 kills at UMKC, before capping the week with a team-best 13 at CSU. With a WAC-leading 447 kills on the season, Tarawhiti will enter the week just 47 kills shy of the single-season school record of 494 kills that was set by former Wolverine standout Kayli Doxey during the 2009 season. 
 
Tarawhiti leads the Wolverines and the WAC on the season with a 4.10 kills per set average. The freshman outside hitter also ranks 14th nationally in total points (498.0), 17th in total kills (447), 23rd in total attacks (1229), 39th in attacks per set (11.28), 40th in kills per set and 42nd in points per set (4.57). Sophomore Kristen Allred follows with a 3.24 kills per set clip (7th in the WAC), while Jarema fronts UVU and the WAC with a 1.65 blocks per set average. Jarema's impressive blocking tally is also good enough to rank her fourth nationally in that category.
 
As a team, UVU also leads the WAC and ranks eighth nationally in total blocks with 287.5.
 
Senior right side and outside hitter Alexis Davies is UVU's lone senior and will be honored prior to Saturday's match. 
 
WAC STANDINGS UPDATE
UVU will enter the weekend currently tied for fifth with CSU Bakersfield in the WAC standings with identical 7-7 records. With California Baptist ineligible for postseason competition, the Wolverines will earn either the No. 4 or No. 5 seed for next week's WAC Tournament. UMKC and UT Rio Grande Valley will enter the weekend tied for first with 11-3 records, while NM State is a game back at 10-4, and CBU is in fourth with a 9-7 league clip. Grand Canyon, who will enter the week in seventh in the conference standings at 4-10, will battle for the No. 6 seed and the final spot in the league tournament, while Chicago State (3-11) and Seattle U (2-12) will each look to win their way in.  
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
CSUB (14-13) will enter the week tied for fifth in the league standings with UVU with a 7-7 WAC record. The Roadrunners have won three of their last four with a pair of victories over Chicago State and a 3-2 win over GCU at home last Saturday. The 'Runners won the WAC Tournament a season ago and will host the conference tournament next week. 
 
Briannah Mariner fronts the 'Runners with a 2.40 kills per set average, while Brooke Boiseau and the reigning WAC Defensive Player of the Week Mattison DeGarmo lead the team in blocks with respective per set averages of 0.98 and 0.91. Desiree Sukhov also leads the 'Runners and the WAC in service aces with 0.42 aces per set. 
 
Thursday's contest will mark the 22nd all-time meeting between UVU and CSUB. Utah Valley will enter play with a 12-9 series advantage, but Bakersfield has won two of the last three including a hard fought five-set victory at the Icardo Center earlier this season on Sept. 29. UVU holds an 8-3 all-time advantage in Orem, however. 
 
GCU (11-15) will enter the week in seventh in the WAC standings and fighting for the final spot in next week's conference tournament with a 4-10 league record. The Antelopes dropped a pair of matches last week to NM State and CSUB, but prior to that recorded a big sweep over CBU at home on Nov. 3. Grand Canyon holds WAC wins on the season over CSUB, CBU and a pair over CSU. 
 
Kayla Matthews leads the Lopes with a 2.60 kills per set average, while Kaira Moss holds a team-best tallies of 214 kills and 0.88 blocks per set clip. KJ Adams fronts the team and ranks second in the WAC in service aces with a 0.39 aces per set average. 
 
Saturday's regular-season finale will mark the 12th all-time meeting between UVU and GCU. The Wolverines will enter play with an unblemished 11-0 mark and a 5-0 record in Orem. Utah Valley previously pulled out a 3-0 victory over the Lopes in Phoenix on Oct. 6. 
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
The Wolverines will head to the 2018 WAC Volleyball Tournament next week at CSU Bakersfield's Icardo Center in Bakersfield, California. The tournament will open on Thanksgiving Day and the Wolverines will open play in the opening round that evening at either 5:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. PT or 8:00 p.m. MT/7:00 p.m. PT against an opponent to be determined. The semifinals will then be held on Nov. 23, and the championship match will be contested on Nov. 24.