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Utah Valley University Athletics

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Blackett's record setting game
Claire Marshall

Women's Volleyball

Blackett breaks school record with 33 kills in reverse sweep of CBU

OREM, Utah -  Utah Valley Freshman Sami Blackett recorded a school-record 33 kills on Saturday to lead UVU (14-6, 5-3) to a reverse sweep of California Baptist (28-30, 18-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-10). Blackett broke Deise Borghetti's 2004 record of 30 kills in the decisive fifth set. Kali Wolf led CBU (1-19, 1-7) with 13 kills. The win snaps a three-match losing skid to the Lancers.
 
"I was proud of the way the team responded today. CBU was the better team for the first two sets, but we were resilient and played our game the rest of the way. Sami and her 33 kills were key to us in coming back, but it took the contributions of the entire team to allow us to complete the reverse sweep today," said UVU head coach Sam Atoa.
 
Blackett started off hot for the Wolverines, scoring five of the first eight points in the match to help the Wolverines off to an early 10-4 lead. She totaled nine kills in the opening set. Bella Wooden had back-to-back kills later to put UVU at 19 points before the Lancers quickly scored 11 of the next 14 points to take 23-22 after a service ace from Reece Reed. Utah Valley had three set points down the stretch thanks to an ace from Madi Standifird, a block assist from Blackett and Wooden before a kill from Evalyn Chism. The four-time WAC Setter of the Week recorded her 1,100th career assist in the first before CBU responded and took the opening set.
 
The momentum of the first set carried over to the second for the Lancers as they got out to a 10-2 lead before taking a 14-7 advantage later. The Wolverines responded with a 4-0 run, starting with a kill from Wooden, and then Wooden and Chism blocked Kali Wolf before Blackett tallied two kills to end the run at 14-10. CBU answered right back to take an 18-11 lead before holding on to take a 2-0 lead.
 
CBU took a 7-5 lead in the third set before the tides changed in UVU's favor with a service error before Wooden stepped to the service line and dropped in her two aces in the match to help the Wolverines go up 9-7. The big run for Utah Valley came after they had gone up 13-11. It started with a kill from Steliyana Chakarova, blocks from Wooden and Blackett before Standifird and a pair of Lancer attack errors topped off the run to make it 21-11. The set went in favor of UVU.
 
Blackett sparked Utah Valley in the fourth set by scoring the first point and later adding two consecutive service aces to make it 6-3. The Lancers rallied and tied the match at 9-9 before the Wolverines pulled ahead with a block by Standifird and Maranda Woolf and a kill from Chakarova. Clinging to a one-point 14-13 lead before UVU went up 16-13 after a Wooden kill and an ace from Molly Cummard, who finished with a career-high 18 digs in the match, they held on to win the set 25-21.
 
Standifird recorded five kills in the fifth set, three of which came in the final five points, to lift UVU to the win. Blackett chipped in four kills during the fifth, including the final two kills. The Wolverines hit .455 during the race to 15. The offensive attack helped Utah Valley jump out to a 9-3 lead, and the defense limited CBU to a .130 hitting percentage to secure their third win in five set matches this season.
 
Chism finished with 51 assists, the third time that she has had 50 or more assists in a match. Her career-high 53 came against Weber State, and her other 51 came against Southern Miss. Wooden finished with eight kills, two aces, and nine blocks in the win.
 
 The Wolverines will play the top of the conference with a Thursday, Oct. 24 match at Grand Canyon before returning home on Saturday, Oct. 26, for first-place UT Arlington at 1:00 p.m. MT inside Lockhart Arena.
 
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Players Mentioned

Evalyn  Chism

#11 Evalyn Chism

S
5' 10"
Sophomore
Molly Cummard

#6 Molly Cummard

DS/L
5' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
Maranda Woolf

#1 Maranda Woolf

MB
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Madi Standifird

#3 Madi Standifird

OH
5' 9"
Sophomore
Sami Blackett

#13 Sami Blackett

OH
6' 1"
Freshman
Bella Wooden

#15 Bella Wooden

MB
6' 3"
Junior
Steliyana Chakarova

#20 Steliyana Chakarova

OH
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Evalyn  Chism

#11 Evalyn Chism

5' 10"
Sophomore
S
Molly Cummard

#6 Molly Cummard

5' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
DS/L
Maranda Woolf

#1 Maranda Woolf

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
MB
Madi Standifird

#3 Madi Standifird

5' 9"
Sophomore
OH
Sami Blackett

#13 Sami Blackett

6' 1"
Freshman
OH
Bella Wooden

#15 Bella Wooden

6' 3"
Junior
MB
Steliyana Chakarova

#20 Steliyana Chakarova

6' 4"
Junior
OH

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