UC DAVIS AGGIE INVITATIONAL - Tournament Central Site
Utah Valley vs. Holy Cross
Friday, Aug. 24  |  11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT
The Pavilion   |  Davis, Calif.
Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  Holy Cross Notes

Utah Valley at UC Davis
Friday, Aug. 24  |  6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT
The Pavilion   |  Davis, Calif.
Live Video  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  UC Davis Notes

Utah Valley vs. Northern Arizona
Saturday, Aug. 25  |  11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT
The Pavilion   |  Davis, Calif.
Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  NAU Notes
 

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​​​​OREM, Utah – After a pair of exhibitions, the Utah Valley University volleyball team will officially open its 2018 campaign Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25, at the UC Davis Aggie Invitational in Davis, California. There, the Wolverines will face both Holy Cross and the host Aggies on Friday, before capping the opening tournament against Northern Arizona on Saturday.
 
Friday's season opener against Holy Cross is scheduled for an 11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT start, while UVU will later face off against UC Davis that evening at 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT. The Wolverines will then close the weekend tournament versus NAU of the Big Sky Conference on Saturday at 11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT. 
 
Live stats will be available for all three matches by visiting UCDavisAggies.com, while Friday evening's contest against the host Aggies will also be streamed live on BigWest.TV. 
 
"We're excited to head to California to open the season. There's some areas of the game that we still need to improve in, however, the foundation of this young team has endless potential and I feel like we will be able to grow quickly," head UVU coach Sam Atoa said. "We will have a chance against all three opponents this weekend and I'm excited to coach this group. We've got some good things ahead of us."  
 
After losing five starters and a total of six letterwinners in all from last year's squad that tied for third in the Western Athletic Conference with a 9-5 league record and finished 15-16 overall, the new-look Wolverines will welcome in a total of nine newcomers to the roster this season. Two of the newcomers are transfers in junior middle blocker Makaila Jarema (Butler) and sophomore setter Jaysa Funk Stratton (Utah State), while seven are true freshman in Kaili Downs (RS, Temecula, Calif./Chaparral HS), Kenzie Guimont (MB, Temecula, Calif./Chaparral HS), Sadie Hamson (MB, Poway, Calif./Poway HS), Elena Hansen (DS/OH, Highland, Utah/American Fork HS), BriAnne Mortensen (S, Bountiful, Utah/Bountiful HS), Kazna Tarawhiti (OH, Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) and Abbie Vincent (DS/L, American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS).
 
The Wolverines, who were recently picked to finish fourth in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, will welcome back Preseason All-WAC selection and 2017 WAC All-Freshman honoree Kristen Allred (OH), as well as returning starting libero Seren Merrill (So.) and lone senior Alexis Davies (OH). UVU also welcomes back fellow returning letterwinners Megan Boudreaux Childs (Jr., MB), Jasmine Niutupuivaha (Jr., MB), Bailey Nixon (So., OH), Brynnly Ward (So., DS) and Madi Wardle (Jr., S). Unfortunately, the newly married Childs is slated to miss the majority of the season after suffering an injury in practice earlier this month.  
 
In its exhibition opener, Utah Valley dropped a tightly contested three-set battle to No. 8 BYU at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo last weekend (25-27, 22-25, 20-25). Allred paced the Wolverines in the contest with nine kills, six digs and a pair of blocks, while Tarawhiti followed with seven kills and seven digs, and Downs added six kills and five blocks. 
 
Earlier this week in the annual Green & White scrimmage, the freshman Tarawhiti led the way with 15 kills, seven digs and two blocks, while Downs followed with 10 kills and three blocks and the returning starter Allred finished one kill shy of a double-double with nine kills and 12 digs. Davies and Jarema were also big for the Wolverines at the net, as they recorded respective tallies of nine and eight blocks. 
 
In 2018, UVU will be without the services of a number multiple time first team all-conference selection and one of the nation's top blockers in 2017 Madison Dennison (MB), two-time All-WAC honoree Lexi Thompson (OH), four-year starting setter Sierra Starley, two-year starting middle blocker Brighton Taylor, two-year starting right side Izzie Hinton and two-year letterwinner Marija Martinovic. 
 
"We knew that we would be losing a very strong senior class last season, but I feel like we have a number of new players that can step in and help play those roles," Atoa added. "We're excited to have them here and are looking forward to seeing how the team performs."
 
ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS
Utah Valley will enter Friday with a 2-13 record in season-opening matches at the NCAA Division I level. UVU's last opening-season victory came on Aug. 26, 2011 when it defeated Illinois State in five sets at home. Utah Valley's other opening day win came on Aug. 28, 2009 when it beat Gonzaga, 3-1, at Weber State's tournament in Ogden. A season ago, the Wolverines fell in four sets to Pepperdine in San José, California. 
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
The College of the Holy Cross is from Worcester, Massachusetts, and calls the Patriot League home. The Crusaders went 5-24 overall a season ago and 2-14 in Patriot League action. Holy Cross was picked to finish eighth in the Patriot League this season and sophomore Katie Kerins led the team offensively in 2017 with a 3.13 kills per set average. 
 
Friday's season opener will mark the first all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Crusaders. 
 
UC Davis is a member of the Big West Conference and compiled a 16-14 overall record in 2017 as well as a fourth-place finish in the Big West with an 8-8 conference clip. The Aggies were picked to finish sixth in the Big West this season. UC Davis welcomes back the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year and first team all-conference performer Mahalia White in 2018. A season ago, White led the Aggies with a 3.55 kills per set average and a .246 hitting percentage. 
 
Friday's contest will mark the fourth all-time meeting between UVU and UCD. The Wolverines will enter play holding to a 2-1 series lead, but UC Davis recorded the last win in a five-set thriller in Fresno, California, on Sept. 7, 2012. 
 
Northern Arizona of the Big Sky Conference went 13-15 overall a season ago and finished fifth in the Big Sky in 2017 with a 9-7 league record. This season, the Lumberjacks have been picked to finish second in the Big Sky Preseason Poll and will return all six starters plus their libero from last season's squad. Three of those returning starters include the reigning Big Sky Outstanding Freshman Heaven Harris, as well as first team all-conference honorees Kaylie Jorgenson and Abby Akin. Jorgenson led NAU a season ago with a 3.77 kills per set average, while Akin paced the team at the net with a 1.07 blocks per set clip and Harris topped the team with a .355 hitting percentage. 
 
Saturday's finale will mark just the third all-time meeting between UVU and NAU. Northern Arizona holds a 2-0 unblemished series advantage after defeating the Wolverines twice in 2011.  
 
UP NEXT FOR UVU
The Wolverines will next return to Orem to welcome Idaho State to town for their 2018 home opener on Tuesday, Aug. 28. The midweek contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and will mark the first of three straight home Tuesday evening contests for UVU. The following week, Utah Valley will host in-state foe Utah State on Sept. 4 before welcoming fellow in-state foe Weber State to town on Sept. 11.