OREM, Utah - Utah Valley will head into the first round of matches of the 2019 season as one of four teams in the BYU Invitational, August 30-31 in Provo, Utah.
 
The Wolverines begin the weekend against Marquette on Friday at 10 a.m., followed by a crosstown rival contest against BYU at 7:30 p.m. UVU will finish the opening weekend of their season in an afternoon matchup against Boise State on Saturday at 12 p.m. Admissions to UVU's contest against Marquette and Boise State will be free. 
 
"The BYU tournament is a very tough start of the season for us," explains head volleyball coach, Sam Atoa. "But we are ready to embrace the challenges ahead of us. We are excited to start the season close to home and our team has set some high goals for the 2019 season, including the preparation we will experience from this tournament."
 
Historically, the Wolverines last participated in the BYU Invitational in 2016, where they faced Rice, Cal Poly and BYU. The Wolverines dropped all three sets in close contests against the Cougars, Mustangs, and Owls.
 
Utah Valley will meet Marquette for the first time in UVU history on Friday, August 30. In their 2018 campaign the Golden Eagles went for a 28-7 overall record, which included a 1-1 split in the Big East tournament. Marquette then posted a 2-1 finish in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles capped the 2018 season in a Top 25 ranking in RPI.
 
Against long-time rival BYU, Utah Valley will face off in their 13th contest in history against the Cougars. BYU has claimed all 13 appearances over the Wolverines. The Cougars went 31-2 on the 2018 season, posting a 17-1 overall conference record. BYU defeated Stony Brook in the first round of the NCAA tournament, followed by a victory over in-state rival Utah in the second round. In the NCAA regional semifinals, the Cougars pulled out a 3-1 win over Florida to advance to the regional final where they posted a clean sweep (3-0) over Texas. BYU finally ended their season in the NCAA national semifinal against No. 1 ranked Stanford in an 0-3 loss.

The Cougars also capped the 2018 season in a Top 25 ranking in RPI, alongside Marquette.
 
Historically, UVU has met Boise State 11 times, where the Wolverines have tallied eight of those wins and only three losses. Utah Valley marked a 5-0 sweep at home against the Broncos and an even 3-3 record at Boise State's Bronco gym.
 
After losing six members, including one starter/letterwinner, UVU will now look for big things from a number of newcomers this season. Utah Valley welcomes in a total of five newcomers this year, with four incoming freshman and one transfer. Of the true freshmen includes outside hitter Tori Dorius (Wasatch HS), middleblocker Natalia Andrus (Oak Ridge HS), defensive specialist Abbie Hughes (Murray HS), and outside hitter Caleigh Vagana (Hunter HS). Atoa also welcomes transfer Ofeira Petaia (Kalani/Franklin Pierce), a defensive specialist from Franklin Pierce University.

The Marquette and Boise State games will be broadcast on the WCC Network, While Friday evening's showdown against the Cougars will be televised live on BYUtv. Live stats will also be available for all three matches here. For more information, visit the UVU Volleyball homepage.
 
Following the BYU-hosted invitational, UVU's first away game will take them to Pocatello, Idaho for a single match-up against Idaho State, September 3 at 6pm MT.