FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Utah Valley University women's volleyball has accepted an invitation to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). It is the second time UVU will compete in the tournament, and it is the first time in the field since 2018, when Utah Valley advanced to the second round.
 
The Wolverines will play Washington State on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 4:00 p.m. MT. A win would move UVU into a second-round match against either Idaho State or Wyoming on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m. MT.
 
"It's awesome that we were able to qualify as one of the 29 teams in the NIVC tournament. This is a testament to the hard work these girls have put in this season. This is a great opportunity for us to continue to compete this year. I am proud of what we have accomplished so far," said UVU head coach Sam Atoa.  
 
In 2018, the Wolverines earned their first postseason victory in the D1 era with a 3-2 victory against Wyoming in Laramie. The season ended the next night in a five-set thriller to Portland. UVU has made two other postseason appearances when they won the WAC Tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Utah Valley finished the regular season 20-10 and 10-6 in the WAC. Sami Blackett won co-WAC Freshman of the Year honors and was named First-Team All-WAC. Blackett finished the season leading the team with 435 kills, with fellow first-teamer Avery Shewell adding 398 kills; she needs four aces to break the school record for aces in a single season.
 
Middle blocker Bella Wooden has tied the school record for total blocks in a season with 191, while she has finished second in the country in total blocks and blocks per set to lead the Wolverine defense. Libero Lani Matavao earned Preseason WAC Libero of the Year before winning three Libero of the Week honors during the regular season.
 
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing events in youth athletics and the college ranks for 40 years.  TCS runs both the preseason and postseason NCAA DI WNIT basketball events and produces the men's and women's Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. In addition, TCS runs the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, the only NCAA DI softball event played outside of the United States, and the NISC, a "WNIT" model for DI softball.