UTAH VALLEY at UMKC
Thursday, Nov. 8  |  6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT
Swinney Rec Center  |  Kansas City, Mo.
WAC Digital Network  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  UMKC Notes

UTAH VALLEY at CHICAGO STATE
Saturday, Nov. 10  |  10 a.m. MT/11 a.m. CT
Jacoby Dickens Center   |  Chicago, Ill.
Live Audio  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  CSU Notes
 

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UTAH VALLEY HEADS TO MIDWEST TO FACE UMKC THURSDAY, CHICAGO STATE SATURDAY
OREM, Utah – Fresh off of a pair of big league victories last week, the Utah Valley University volleyball team will head to the Midwest for its final regular-season road trip of the 2018 season this week. UVU will first head to Kansas City for a Thursday evening contest the second-place UMKC Kangaroos, before capping the week in the Windy City at Chicago State on Saturday morning.
 
Thursday's clash will begin at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT at UMKC's Swinney Recreation Center, while Saturday's match will take place at 10 a.m. MT/11 a.m. CT at CSU's Jacoby Dickens Center. Thursday's contest at Kansas City will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network and will also feature live stats by visiting UMKCStats.com, while Saturday's matinee will have live audio and live stats available at GoCSUCougars.com.
 
The Wolverines will enter the week with a 14-11 record and in fifth place in the WAC standings at 6-6. UVU has now won three straight matches after sweeping the then first-place California Baptist Lancers on the road last Thursday (25-23, 25-20, 29-27), and following it up with a hard fought 3-2 come-from-behind home victory over the three-time defending WAC champion New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday (21-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-23, 22-20). 
 
After dropping the first two sets to the Aggies on Saturday, UVU then responded to win the next three to claim the victory over NM State. After taking the third, 25-15, Utah Valley then managed to pull out a pair of tightly contested two-point sets in the fourth (25-23) and the fifth in extra points (22-20). Trailing 10-5 in the decisive fifth set, UVU started an epic comeback and later with its back against the wall down 20-19 responded with back-to-back-to-back points to claim the WAC victory. Makaila Jarema led the final spurt for the Wolverines with a pair of blocks on the final two points of the match. 
 
Jarema led the Wolverines in the contest with a match-high 13 blocks, which is just one shy of the single-match school record of 14 that she set earlier on the season. She also added nine kills on .500 hitting on her way to earning WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Over the two matches last week, Jarema averaged an impressive tally of 2.38 blocks per set. 
 
Offensively, Kristen Allred led the UVU attack last week with 34 kills on .245 hitting for a 4.25 kills per set average. She also posted her team-best ninth double-double of the year versus NM State with 18 kills and 11 digs. Kazna Tarawhiti followed with an average of 3.25 kills per set, while Madi Wardle led the way in assists with an average of 5.38 and Seren Merrill fronted the team from the back row with 2.88 digs per clip.
 
On the season, Tarawhiti leads the Wolverines and the WAC in kills with a total of 413 as well as a 4.05 per set average. Just last week in UVU's latest match against NM State, Tarawhiti became just the sixth player in Utah Valley Division I history to surpass 400 kills in a season. She'll enter the week currently in fourth in the single-season school record book with 413 kills. She also ranks 19th nationally in total kills, 22nd in total attacks (1140), 40th in attacks per set (11.18), 45th in kills per set and 47th in points per set (4.51). Jarema also tops the Wolverines and the WAC in blocks with a 1.60 per set average. Her 1.60 blocks per set average will also tie for fourth nationally when she reaches the statistical minimums for matches played. 
 
As a team, UVU currently ranks leads the WAC in blocks and ranks 10th nationally in total blocks with 269.5 on the year. 
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
UMKC will enter Thursday's contest currently in second place in the WAC standings with a 18-8 overall record and 9-3 in league play. The Kangaroos are just a half game back of first place UT Rio Grande Valley (10-3) and have won five straight league matches. During the streak, the Roos have topped Seattle U (3-0), Grand Canyon (3-0), California Baptist (3-1), and CSU Bakersfield twice (3-1 & 3-1). Kansas City's three losses in WAC play have come to New Mexico State, UTRGV and Chicago State. The Roos were picked to finish fifth in the WAC this season.
 
Alicia Harrington paces UMKC offensively on the year with a 3.31 kills per seat average, while Tyrecia Lukes is right behind her at 3.10. Lukes also front the team and the WAC in hitting with a .415 clip and the Roos in blocking with a 1.22 per set average. 
 
Thursday's contest will mark the 13th all-time meeting between UVU and UMKC. The Wolverines hold an 8-4 series lead and have won three of the last four meeting despite falling in five sets earlier this fall in Orem. The Roos will enter Thursday holding to a slight 3-2 series advantage at the Swinney Rec Center in Kansas City. 
 
Chicago State will enter the week with an 8-21 overall record and tied for eighth in the WAC standings with a 2-10 league record. CSU will enter play having dropped seven straight matches, which includes 12 of its last 13. Despite holding just two league victories on the year, one of the two was a five-set triumph over UVU in the conference opener back on Sept. 20 in Orem. Chicago State's other conference victory was a 3-2 home win over UMKC. The Cougars were picked to finish ninth in the WAC this season. 
 
Lauryn Dela Cruz leads the Cougars on the season with a 3.52 kills per set average. Summer Farris fronts the team with a 1.00 blocks per set while Megan Klavitter leads CSU and WAC in digs with a 5.67 per set clip. 
 
Saturday morning's contest will mark the 24th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Cougars. UVU holds a commanding 22-1 series advantage, but CSU picked up its first-ever win over Utah Valley earlier this season in five sets in Orem. The Wolverines will enter Saturday a unblemished 11-0 all-time in Chicago. 
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
The Wolverines will return home to close their 2018 regular season with a pair of conference home matches next week. UVU will first host CSU Bakersfield on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m., before welcoming GCU on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. The WAC Volleyball Tournament will then run open on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) at CSUB's Icardo Center in Bakersfield, California. The top six eligible teams will qualify for the tournament.