OREGON CLASSIC
Utah Valley at #18 Oregon
Friday, Aug. 31 | 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT
Matthew Knight Arena | Eugene, Ore.
Live Video |
Live Stats |
UVU Notes |
Oregon Notes
Utah Valley vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Friday, Aug. 31 | 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT
Matthew Knight Arena | Eugene, Ore.
Live Video |
Live Stats |
UVU Notes |
UAPB Notes
Utah Valley vs. Long Beach State
Saturday, Sept. 1 | 12 p.m. MT/11 a.m. PT
Matthew Knight Arena | Eugene, Ore.
Live Video |
Live Stats |
UVU Notes |
LBSU Notes
UTAH VALLEY VOLLEYBALL HEADS TO EUGENE FOR OREGON CLASSIC
OREM, Utah – Fresh off of a home win over Idaho State on Tuesday, the Utah Valley University volleyball team will return to the road to take part at the Oregon Classic this weekend in Eugene, Oregon. There, the Wolverines will face the host and 18th-ranked Oregon Ducks and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday, before closing the event with a Saturday afternoon contest against Long Beach State.
UVU will first face the Pac-12 Ducks on Friday at 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT before closing the day with a 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT contest against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Utah Valley will then conclude the weekend tournament by facing Long Beach State on Saturday at noon MT/11 a.m. PT. All three matches will take place at Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena and live video will be available by visiting
GoDucks.com/live.
"This will be a tough trip. To play a top-20 team in their home arena in the Ducks will be a challenge, but we feel like this will be a good experience for us," head UVU coach
Sam Atoa said. "We will face three formidable opponents while we are there, and we're excited about the challenge that lies ahead."
The Wolverines will enter the weekend with a 2-2 record on the young season after picking up a 3-1 win in their home opener over Idaho State on Tuesday. Prior to the home win, UVU opened the 2018 campaign with a 1-2 outing at the UC Davis Aggie Invitational last weekend with a 3-0 victory over Holy Cross and setbacks to UC Davis (3-0) and Northern Arizona (3-2).
In Tuesday's home opener against Idaho State, freshman
Kazna Tarawhiti and sophomore
Kristen Allred helped lead the Wolverines to victory with 19 and 16 kills, respectively. The freshman Tarawhiti also added her first collegiate double-double with 10 digs, while the preseason All-WAC selection Allred too notched a double-double with 10 digs of her own as well. Allred also posted a match and career-high .538 hitting percentage as she committed just two attack errors in the contest.
Junior
Makaila Jarema and freshman
Kaili Downs too played well for the Wolverines in the win over ISU, as they recorded seven and six respective blocks at the net, while junior
Madi Wardle led a three-setter attack with 21 assists and sophomore
Seren Merrill paced UVU from the back row with 13 digs.
Allred too had a solid opening weekend for the Wolverines at the UC Davis Aggie Invitational by earning All-Tournament Team honors. For the three matches, the Wolverine sophomore outside hitter tallied 37 kills (3.55 kps), 21 digs (1.91 dps), three blocks and three service aces for the weekend. She also capped the opening tournament with a career-high 19 kills in last Saturday's five-set battle against Northern Arizona.
Allred paces the Wolverines on the young season with 53 kills and a .309 attack percentage, while Tarawhiti leads the club in kills per set average with 3.54. Jarema is tops on the club at the net with a 1.53 blocks per set clip.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
The 18th-ranked Ducks will enter Friday's tournament opener with a 1-2 record after dropping consecutive contests to No. 3 Texas (3-1) and No. 2 Nebraska (3-0) in Lincoln last weekend, and responding with a sweep over Portland State in their home opener on Tuesday. A season ago, Oregon went 18-12 overall and 10-10 in the Pac-12 en route to earning a bid into the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Ducks had their NCAA run cut short, however, with a second-round loss to BYU in the Provo Regional. UO was picked to finish third in the Pac-12 this season.
Junior middle blocker Ronika Stone earned Preseason All-Pac-12 honors this season for the Ducks after being named All-Pac-12 and AVCA All-Region a season ago. Stone is currently third on the team in kills this year with a 3.00 per set average and tallying just a 0.80 blocks per set clip. Senior Lindsey Vander Weide and 2016 AVCA All-American currently leads the Ducks in kills on the year with a 3.60 per set clip.
Friday's contest will mark just the third all-time meeting between UVU and UO, but the first between the two clubs in Eugene. Oregon holds a 2-0 series advantage after sweeping Utah Valley in Lawrence, Kansas, in 2008 as well as in Orem in 2009.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff, who hails from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and is a member of the SWAC, will enter the weekend tournament with an 0-3 record after going winless at the Memphis Invitational last weekend. The Lady Lions dropped contests to Arkansas State, Stephen F. Austin, and the host Memphis Tigers. UAPB will first face Long Beach State on Friday morning before taking on UVU that evening. Pine Bluff was picked to finish fourth in the SWAC this season after going 12-19 overall and 11-7 in league play a season ago.
Kendalle Howard paces UAPB on the season with a 2.63 kills per set average, while Charis Adefolarim leads the team at the net with a 0.56 blocks per set clip.
Friday evening's contest will mark the first all-time meeting between UVU and UAPB.
Long Beach State will enter the weekend with a 2-2 record after topping WAC foe Seattle U in four sets in its home opener earlier in the week and going 1-2 at the Portland State Tournament last weekend. LBSU dropped a five-set contest to Boise State and a three-set one to the host Vikings, before responding to beat Portland State in four sets the following day. The 49ers were picked to finish fourth in the Big West this season after going 10-19 overall and 7-9 in league play a year ago.
Hailey Harward leads the Beach offensively with a 3.12 kills per set average on the year, while YiZhi Xue leads the way for the club at the net with a 1.07 blocks per set clip.
Saturday's weekend finale against LBSU will mark just the second all-time meeting between UVU and Long Beach State. Utah Valley holds a 1-0 series lead after defeating the 49ers in Orem a season ago as part of the Wolverine Invitational in four sets.
ATOA CLOSING IN ON WIN NUMBER 400
After recording a victory over Idaho State in UVU's home opener, head Utah Valley volleyball coach
Sam Atoa will now enter the weekend just eight wins shy of recording his 400th career victory. Atoa, who is currently in his 20th season as UVU's head coach, will enter the Oregon Classic with a 392-223 career record (.637 winning percentage). Atoa, who earned WAC Coach of the Year honors in 2016, holds a 254-192 mark during his 16 seasons of coaching Utah Valley at the NCAA Division I level, as well as a 138-31 clip during his four seasons of coaching the Wolverines during the school's NJCAA era.
UP NEXT FOR UVU
The Wolverines will next return home to welcome in-state foe Utah State to town for a Tuesday evening clash against the Aggies. UVU and USU will do battle on Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. at Utah Valley's Lockhart Arena. Following the contest, Utah Valley will head to the East Coast to take part at the Campbell/NC State Invitational. The Wolverines will first face Campbell in Buies Creek, North Carolina, on Sept. 6, before heading to Raleigh to face both Appalachian State and NC State on Sept. 7.
