OREM, Utah – Utah Valley women's volleyball team will open WAC play this week with a match on the road against Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry on Thursday, Sept.22, and then host Seattle U on Saturday, Sept 24 at 1:00 p.m. The Wolverines will see both teams twice in WAC play.
UVU had a tough week playing against good in-state teams and went 0-3, with a pair of heartbreaking five-set losses to Utah State and Weber State before dropping a contest to No. 15 BYU in Provo. The Wolverines will now move into WAC play and be playing for positioning in the WAC Tournament in November.
Senior
Tori Dorius leads Utah Valley with 129 kills entering the weekend, averaging 3.15 kills per set and 3.52 points per set.
Kalea Kennedy has provided a spark off the bench of UVU with 90 kills on the season. UVU currently sits near the top of the WAC in blocks, with
Jules Fink averaging 1.08 blocks/set for third in the WAC and
Makayla Broadbent is averaging one block per set for seventh in the WAC.
BROADCAST INFO
Both matches will be available on ESPN+ this week. Live Stats will be available on uvustats.com.
ABOUT UTAH TECH
The Trailblazers enter this weekend 6-3 after beating Idaho State and losing to UNLV to close out non-conference play and will be looking to qualify for their first WAC Tournament in volleyball this year. Senior outside hitter Whitnee Nihipall, an Arizona transfer, leads UTU with 92 kills on the year and averages 3.28 per set. Setter Taela Laufiso averages 8.64 assists/set and is currently third in the WAC and is tied with Dorius with a .289 hit percentage. Utah Tech is near the top of the WAC in digs with 17.17 a set which is second in the WAC. Mykenna Nelson has 195 digs and was the Ticketsmarter WAC Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 12.
SERIES HISTORY VS UTAH TECH
Utah Valley holds a 5-0 record against Utah Tech since UVU reached Division I status in 2003. The Wolverines swept the season series a year ago in the Old Hammer Rivalry. The two teams will meet for a second time this year on Oct. 20 in Orem.
ABOUT SEATTLE U
The Redhawks are currently 4-4 and went 0-2 last week at the Portland Invitational with losses to Portland State and Portland. The week before, Seattle U traveled to the Bellarmine Invitational and left with victories over Bellarmine, IUPUI, and Gardner Webb. Arianna Bilby leads the offensive attack with 103 kills on the year and averages 3.43 kills per set, which puts her third in the WAC. Shanice horn has added 86 kills on the season to make a 1-2 punch for the Redhawks. Senior setter Ezgi Ozkan is second in the WAC with 8.80 assists per set for 264.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SEATTLE U
Utah Valley holds a 15-6 all-time vs. Seattle U. The Wolverines have recently dominated the series winning nine of the last ten and eight straight in the series. The only previous Redhawk victory in Orem came on Oct. 21, 2017, in a 3-2 five-set thriller.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will remain at home next week for matches against Sam Houston on Oct. 1 for a 1:00 p.m. MT contest and will host former WAC foe Chicago State on Oct. 6 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets for these matches are available on the tickets link above.
