OREM, Utah – Utah Valley women's volleyball dropped a heartbreaker in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament to Stephen F. Austin 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 20-25, 28-30) inside Lockhart Arena. The intense match saw 53 ties and 22 lead changes over four sets. Avery Shewell led UVU (12-17, 8-8) with 16 kills on 35 swings in the match.
 
"This was a very tough loss tonight, especially for how well they played. It will take a while to get over. I hurt for the team, especially our seniors. They are amazing young ladies that I have had the privilege to coach. I will miss them. They have blessed my life tremendously," said UVU head coach Sam Atoa.
 
Shewell answered the call early for the UVU offense in the opening set with five kills and only one error. She was aided by a strong performance from senior setter Abbie Medeiros, who had eight of her 30 assists in the set. A pair of kills from Shewell gave the Wolverines a narrow lead late in the set, but the Ladyjacks found a way to narrowly win the set 26-24.
 
Kendra Nock got the Wolverines back in the set after she had a pair of service aces cut into a five-point deficit and put UVU down two at 10-8. One of Nock's two kills in the set gave UVU the lead at 13-12 and forced an SFA timeout. Tori Ellis, Caleigh Vagana, and Shewell provided key kills down the stretch before a service error from the Ladyjacks gave UVU the set.
 
Senior Hailey Cuff was the victim of most SFA service attempts, and she finished with 17 digs in the match, but in the third set, her four kills helped set the tone. Cuff had kills that gave UVU a pair of leads early at 8-6 and 9-8 before fellow senior Kalea Kennedy added two kills, extending the lead to 14-12. The Ladyjacks regained the lead before Caleigh Vagana answered with a pair of her own kills. Stephen F. Austin answered, though, and closed the set to take a 2-1 lead.
 
Shewell finished with seven kills in the match's final set, with Ellis having four and Vagana adding three. The set was a see-saw battle, including late as the match was tied at 19-19 after a block assist by Ellis and Vagana. Utah Valley held a late lead at 23-20 before a 5-1 run by SFA pushed the match past 25, and after trading points, it was the Ladyjacks who came up with two points for a 30-28 win.
 
The Wolverines had 54 assists, Medeiros finishing with 30, Evalyn Chism added 16, and Lani Matavao had seven. Utah Valley held the advantage in hitting percentage with a .287 to .271 advantage.
 
Utah Valley finishes the season at 12-17 and 8-8 in WAC play and they will now break until the spring season. The 2024 schedule will be announced in the upcoming months.