OPENING TIP
Utah Valley University women's basketball opens year six of the Dan Nielson era on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MT in the UCCU Center against Kansas City. The season begins with five of the first six games at home in Orem, with the lone road contest Saturday at Kennesaw State. 

The Wolverines, who are 4-1 in five season openers under Nielson, return four players who started at least half the games a season ago, including three of the top four scoring averages. Tahlia White (8.2 ppg) and Kylee Mabry (8.0 ppg), the top two scorers on last season's squad, return alongside senior Ally Criddle and junior Tessa Chaney, who led the team with 6.2 rebounds per contest. 

Utah Valley was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team WAC with Grand Canyon slated as the preseason favorite, just in front of defending champion California Baptist. 

THE 2024-25 WOLVERINES
In total, Utah Valley returns eight letter-winners from last season while welcoming six newcomers to the roster. Among the newcomers is Santa Clara transfer Danja Stafford Collins and Idaho transfer Aspen Caldwell. The roster also features a trio of true freshmen in Kennedy Carlyle, Cambree Blackham, and Kendra Kitchen. Eastern Arizona College (NJCAA) transfer Gracie Sorenson rounds out the newcomers to the squad. Head coach Dan Nielson also has three new members of his coaching staff in McKenzie Mangino, Jasmine Porter, and Paisley Johnson Harding. 

ABOUT THE ROOS
Kansas City opened its season on Monday night at Utah State, winning 80-77 with four straight points in the waning seconds to pick up the road win. Alayna Contreras had 29 points to lead the Roos while Tamia Ugass finished with 10 points and 12 boards. Kansas City is part of the Summit League and was once members of the WAC with Utah Valley. The two programs have played 16 times prior, with the Wolverines holding a 9-7 record against the Roos, including a 6-1 mark at home. Kansas City was picked eighth in the nine-team Summit League.

BLOODLINES
This season's roster features a set of cousins as well as sisters. Senior Ally Criddle is welcoming her little sister Cambree Blackham to the squad while former high school teammates and cousins Tahlia White and Danja Stafford Collins will also suit up in Wolverine green. White's mother and Stafford Collins' father are siblings, with the duo also having countless other relatives who have played college and professional sports as part of their families. 

White's cousins and Stafford's brothers (Eli and Radi) are both on UVU's wrestling team while White's sister (Sydney) plays at California Baptist. Another Stafford brother, Abe, is a freshman at Eastern Arizona. Saige Gibb also has a sibling, Delaney, who plays for BYU's women's team. 

STAFFORD COLLINS PARTICIPATING IN ENGAGED ATHLETE FELLOWSHIP
Graduate student Danja Stafford Collins was accepted into the Engaged Athlete Fellowship, a leadership program run by nonpartisan nonprofit The Team. EAF is a group of 38 student-athletes across the country to help strengthen nonpartisan civic participation on their teams, campuses and in their broader communities. 

UVU SIGNS EMERY WITH TEAM IMPACT
The women's basketball team also made an important addition to the squad this past September, signing Emery to the team as part of Team IMPACT. On its website, Team IMPACT is described as an opportunity for children living with serious illness or disability to be provided with a safe, supportive, and encouraging environment for a child and their family to connect with a college athletic team and local campus community. Emery has attended practice and was also part of the team's Halloween festivities and dressed up as Snow White.

THE NEW WAC
The 2024-25 WAC season again saw a change in conference affiliation for two schools once part of the WAC, leaving the conference with nine teams this season. Stephen F. Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley both left for the Southland Conference with Grand Canyon and Seattle U both slated to join the West Coast Conference in 2025-26. All nine teams will qualify for the WAC women's basketball tournament in March.