UTAH VALLEY vs. CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
Thursday, Sept. 27  |  11 a.m. MT
Lockhart Arena   |  Orem, Utah
WAC Digital Network  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  CBU Notes

UTAH VALLEY at CSU Bakersfield
Saturday, Sept. 29  |  2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT
Icardo Center   |  Bakersfield, Calif.
Watch ESPN  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  CSUB Notes
 

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WOLVERINES SET TO HOST CBU THURSDAY, PLAY AT CSUB SATURDAY
OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University women's volleyball team will cap a three-match homestand on Thursday morning when it welcomes new Western Athletic Conference foe California Baptist to town. The Thursday matinee contest will begin at 11 a.m. MT at Lockhart Arena, will feature free admission and will be a part of UVU's Homecoming Week festivities. 
 
Following Thursday's home match, UVU will then head to Bakersfield, California, for a Saturday afternoon league contest at CSU Bakersfield. First serve for Saturday's contest is set for 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT at CSUB's Icardo Center. 
 
Thursday's home contest will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network (WACDigitalNetwork.com), while Saturday's match at Bakersfield will air live on WatchESPN.com. Live stats will also be available for each contest by visiting UVUStats.com on Thursday and GoRunners.com on Saturday. 
 
UVU will enter the weekend with a 8-7 overall record and an 0-2 start in WAC play after dropping a pair of five-set league matches at home last week. The Wolverines first fell to Chicago State for the first time in program history on Thursday (20-25, 25-14, 25-14, 21-25, 14-16) for the first time in program history on Thursday, before capping the week with a 3-2 setback to UMKC on Saturday after the Kangaroos rallied to overcome a 2-0 deficit and win the final three sets (25-17, 25-16, 23-25, 24-26, 13-15).
 
In Saturday's most recent contest against Kansas City, the Wolverines got off to a strong start after winning the opening two sets by scores of 25-17 and 25-16. UMKC then managed to respond, however, by winning three straight tightly contested two-point sets to come from behind and take the match. The Roos managed to capitalize on untimely UVU errors down the stretch of each of the final three sets. 
 
Despite dropping both conference openers, freshman Kazna Tarawhiti paced the Wolverines offensively on the week with an average of 4.40 kills per set and a .255 hitting percentage. The freshman outside hitter tallied a season-high 24 kills and her third double-double of the year with 16 kills against CSU, before capping the week with 20 kills against the Roos on Saturday. In Saturday's contest against UMKC, Makaila Jarema and Alexis Davies both excelled at the net for the Wolverines by both topping double figures in blocks. The junior middle blocker Jarema had a double-double in the match with 10 kills and finishing one block shy of a single-match school record with 12, while Davies added eight kills and 10 blocks of her own.
 
Tarawhiti leads UVU and the WAC on the season offensively with 246 total kills a 4.10 kills per set average. She also ranks 12th nationally in total kills, 16th in total attempts (651),45th in the country in kills per set average, 13th in total points with 274.0 and 48th in points per set average (4.57). Kristen Allred is next with a 3.43 kills per set clip – which is good enough to rank fifth in the WAC – while Jarema tops the team and the league in blocks with a 1.37 per set average.  
 
As a team, the Wolverines will enter the weekend second in the WAC and ranked 18th nationally in total blocks with 144.5.
 
THURSDAY'S PROMOTIONS
Thursday's contest will feature free admission as well as free pizza for any UVU students that attend the match. It will also feature an 11 a.m. MT start, as it has been promoted as an elementary school game where a number of local elementary school kids will be in attendance to cheer on the Wolverines. It will also be a part of UVU's Homecoming Week festivities.
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
California Baptist, which is in its first year of NCAA Division I competition after recently jumping up from a perennial powerhouse NCAA DII program, will come to Orem with a 10-4 overall record and a 1-1 start in WAC play. In its opening WAC matches last week, the Lancers first managed to defeat the three-time defending WAC champion New Mexico State Aggies in five sets at home, before falling to the 2016 WAC Tournament champion UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros in four sets. In just its first year of NCAA Division I competition, CBU holds non-conference wins over Mississippi State of the SEC, UTEP, San Francisco, American, Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia State Mississippi Valley State, Presbyterian and La Sierra. The Lancers were picked to finish eighth in the WAC this season after going 29-1 and a perfect 20-0 in league play with an NCAA DII West Regional appearance in its final year of NCAA DII competition last season.  
 
Tesa Oaks leads CBU offensively on the year with a 3.67 kill per set average, while Sydney Marks paces the team and ranks second in the WAC with a .371 hitting percentage. Marks also fronts the team with a 0.91 blocks per set clip. 
 
Thursday's contest will mark the first all-time meeting between UVU and CBU. 
 
CSU Bakersfield will enter the week with an 9-6 overall record and an unblemished 2-0 start in WAC play after defeating both the preseason favorite NM State Aggies as well as the UTRGV Vaqueros. CSUB first topped UT Rio Grande Valley in four sets before capping the perfect start with a five-set victory over NMSU. The Roadrunners have won a total of six matches in a row after also sweeping in-state foe Cal State Fullerton at home on Tuesday and previously beating UC Santa Barbara, Montana and South Dakota at the Roadrunner Classic Sept. 13-15. The 'Runners were picked to finish third in the WAC this season after tying for third with UVU a season ago with a 9-5 league record. 
 
Desiree Sukhov leads CSUB offensively on the season with a 2.30 kills per set average while her teammate Briannah Mariner is right behind her with a 2.26 per set clip. Brooke Boiseau fronts the team at the net with a 1.11 blocks per set average and an even .300 hitting percentage. 
 
Saturday's road contest in Bakersfield will mark the 21st all-time meeting between the Wolverines and 'Runners. UVU will enter play holding to a 12-8 series lead and having won four of the last five meetings. CSUB does hold a 5-3 series advantage in Bakersfield however. 
 
ATOA'S JUST TWO WINS SHY OF 400
After going 6-4 over his last 10 matches, head Utah Valley volleyball coach Sam Atoa will enter the weekend just two wins shy of recording his 400th career victory. Atoa, who is currently in his 20th season as UVU's head coach, will enter the week with a 398-228 career record (.636 winning percentage). Atoa, who earned WAC Coach of the Year honors in 2016, holds a 260-197 mark during his 16 seasons of coaching UVU 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
Following this weekend's matches, UVU will then continue WAC play on the road next week with contests at Seattle U and Grand Canyon. The Wolverines will first head to Seattle to face the Redhawks on Thursday, Oct. 4, before capping the trip with a Saturday afternoon (Oct. 6) contest at the GCU Lopes.