WOLFPACK/CAMEL INVITATIONAL  
Utah Valley at Campbell
Thursday, Sept. 6  |  5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET
Gore Arena   |  Buies Creek, N.C.
Live Video (ESPN+)  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  Campbell Notes

Utah Valley vs. Appalachian State
Friday, Sept. 7  |  9 a.m. MT/11 a.m. ET
Reynolds Coliseum   |  Raleigh, N.C.
Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  App State Notes

Utah Valley at NC State
Friday, Sept. 7  |  5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET
Reynolds Coliseum   |  Raleigh, N.C.
Live Video (ESPN3)  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Notes  |  NC State Notes
 

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UVU HEADS TO NORTH CAROLINA FOR WOLFPACK/CAMEL INVITE
OREM, Utah – Having won three consecutive matches and four of its last five, the Utah Valley University volleyball team will look to continue its winning ways when it heads to North Carolina this weekend to take part in the Wolfpack/Camel Invitational. UVU will first head to Buies Creek to take on the Campbell Fighting Camels on Thursday evening (Sept. 6), before heading to Raleigh to face both Appalachian State and NC State on Friday (Sept. 7). 
 
The Wolverines and Camels will first do battle on Thursday at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET at Gore Arena and the contest will be streamed live on ESPN+. UVU will then continue play on Friday at 9 a.m. MT/11 a.m. ET against App State at NC State's Reynolds Coliseum and will cap the weekend tournament by taking on the host Wolfpack on Friday at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET. The NC State match will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra (ESPN3), and live stats will be available for all three matches by visiting GoUVU.com.
 
"This is the third weekend in a row that we'll be on the road. But we're excited to head to North Carolina and face three teams that we've never faced before," head UVU coach Sam Atoa said. "It's the first time that we've traveled to the East Coast in a while, and we're looking forward to three challenging matches."
 
The Wolverines will enter the weekend tournament with a 5-3 overall record and coming off of a three-set sweep over in-state rival Utah State at home on Tuesday night (25-21, 25-20, 25-9). Prior to that match, UVU earned a second-place finish at the Oregon Classic in Eugene, Oregon, last weekend with a 2-1 outing at the event. After falling to the host and 18th-ranked Oregon Ducks in the opener (16-25, 23-25, 12-25), Utah Valley responded to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff in straight sets (25-11, 25-19, 25-18) as well as top Long Beach State in four (21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19). 
 
In Tuesday's in-state victory over Utah State, the reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Week Kazna Tarawhiti led the Wolverines with a match-high 15 kills and a .256 hitting clip. Preseason All-WAC performer Kristen Allred was next for UVU with 10 kills, seven digs and two service aces, while the freshmen duo of Kenzie Guimont and Kaili Downs recorded eight and six blocks at the net, respectively. 
 
Both the freshman Tarawhiti and the sophomore Allred earned Oregon Classic All-Tournament Team honors a week ago, after having stellar performances for the Wolverines. The recognition was Tarawhiti's first of the season and Allred's second, as she too earned UC Davis Aggie Invitational All-Tournament Team honors at the first tournament of the season. 
 
Tarawhiti paces the Wolverines offensively as well as the WAC with a 4.19 kills per set average and 109 total kills. Allred is next for UVU with a 3.56 kills per set average and a team-high .271 hitting percentage, while junior Makaila Jarema tops the team and the WAC at the net with a 1.44 blocks per set clip. 
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
Campbell University will enter Thursday's match with a 2-5 overall record after dropping a 3-0 setback to UNC Wilmington on Tuesday and after going 1-2 at both the Aztec Invitational as well as the Hokie Invitational. The Fighting Camels hold their two wins on the year over CSU Bakersfield and Robert Morris, and Thursday's contest will mark Campbell's third of the season against an opponent from the Western Athletic Conference as they've also played Seattle U on the season. The Camels were picked to finish third in the Big South Conference this season after going 20-12 overall a season ago and 10-6 in the Big South. 
 
Sarah Colla leads Campbell offensively on the young season with a 3.32 kills per set average, while Alysha Mitchell tops the team in blocks with a 1.22 per set clip.
 
Thursday's meeting will be the first all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Camels. 
 
Appalachian State will enter Friday morning's neutral-site contest with a 4-2 record, but having dropped its last two matches after falling to both Clemson and Mississippi State last week at the Appalachian Invitational. App State previously won its first four contests of the year over The Citadel, Coppin State, UNC Asheville and Davidson. The Mountaineers were picked to finish third in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference this season after going 12-20 overall and 6-10 in Sul Belt action in 2017. 
 
Emma Longley paces App State offensively with a 3.65 kills per set average, while Kara Spicer fronts the team with a .308 hitting percentage and a 1.00 blocks per set clip. 
 
Friday's match up will mark the first all-time meeting between UVU and App State. 
 
NC State will first face Wright State on Friday afternoon before taking on the Wolverines on Friday evening. The Wolfpack is off to a 3-2 start on the season after going 2-1 at the SMU Doubletree Classic in Dallas last week with wins over SMU and Arkansas State and a 3-0 setback to No. 15 Creighton. NC State also holds a home victory on the year over VCU. The Wolfpack was picked to finish seventh in the ACC this season after going 21-12 overall and 15-5 in ACC action a year ago en route to earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
 
Friday evening's contest will also mark the first all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Wolfpack.
 
ATOA'S CLOSING IN ON WIN NUMBER 400
After recording a trio of wins last week and another on Tuesday versus Utah State, head Utah Valley volleyball coach Sam Atoa will now enter the weekend just five 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 395-224 career record (.638 winning percentage). Atoa, who earned WAC Coach of the Year honors in 2016, holds a 257-193 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 the weekend tournament, UVU will again return home to welcome an in-state foe to town for the second consecutive week when Weber State comes to Lockhart Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. The Wolverines will then head to Salt Lake City to face Utah on Friday, Sept. 14 for their final non-conference match of the season.