OREM, Utah – Utah Valley women's volleyball will travel to the Lone Star State this week for the start of Western Athletic Conference play. The Wolverines will meet Tarleton State on Thursday, Sept. 21, in Stephenville at 5:00 p.m. MT before playing Abilene Christian on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Noon M.T.
 
Both matches will be live on ESPN+ this weekend, and live stats will be available on UVUstats.com.
 
The Wolverines are coming off a challenging week in which UVU went 0-3 against in-state foes Weber State, Utah State, and No. 12 BYU. Avery Shewell had 27 kills in the three matches. Vittoria Price added 13 kills and hit .455 after only committing three attack errors in 22 attacks.
 
Defensively, Kendra Nock tallied ten total blocks as she moved into 13^th place all-time in total blocks. She enters this weekend with a chance to move into 11^th place all-time with five block assists. Setter Abbie Medeiros passed 1,700 career assists last week and now only sits 272 away from 2,000 for her career.
 
Utah Valley makes their second consecutive trip to Tarleton State and Abilene Christian. UVU went last season and picked up victories against both teams. They will meet a second time in Orem, with the Texans and Wildcats making their first trip to Orem.
 
ABOUT THE TEXANS
Tarleton State enters the matchup at 9-5 and has won their last four matches. Last weekend, they went 3-0 at the Dr. Pam Littleton Classic. The Texans are led by junior Outside Hitter Allison Bryant, who has totaled 195 kills on the year and averages 3.48 kills/set. Middle Blocker Emma Burke is the leader on the defensive side with 57 blocks on the season, and she has added 23 service aces on the year but is a threat offensively, as she is leading the WAC in hitting percentage at .409.
 
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Abilene Christian is 5-7 on the season and has lost their last five matches. Their last win came on Sept. 5 against Texas Tech. Middle Blocker Breanna Box is hitting .339 on the season and is third in the WAC. Ashli Edmiston has tallied 127 kills and is joined by Braden Bossier in the 100-kill club, as Bossier has 103. Madeline Guffy is third in the WAC and No. 59 in the country in aces per set with 0.50 aces/set.
 
SAM ATOA ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
Utah Valley University has announced that after generous donations from alumni and friends of the program—and in honor of head coach Sam Atoa's 25th season—the new Sam Atoa Endowed Volleyball Scholarship will be awarded annually to a volleyball student-athlete.
 
"It has been an incredible 25-year ride with Sam as our head coach; he has been a big asset to our department, the community, the global community, and UVU. As I talk to former players, they continue to mention their love and appreciation for him and the impact that he has had on their lives. This gift will continue to remember and honor his legacy at UVU and in the community," said UVU Director of Athletics Dr. Jared Sumsion.
 
TRAVELING WOLVERINES
Utah Valley will make their first of two trips to Texas this season; they will return in November for matches against UT Arlington and Stephen F. Austin. The Wolverines have never hosted Tarleton State or Abilene Christian but will next month inside Lockhart Arena.
 
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will play four straight home contests and stay in the state for their next six. UVU welcomes Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 28), UT Arlington (Sept. 30), UTRGV (Oct. 7), and Seattle U (Sept.9). Tickets for all home matches are still available.