OREM, Utah - Utah Valley University defeated Kansas City 3-0 (25-20), (25-20), (25-23) on Friday night inside Lockhart Arena. UVU (2-0) freshman Sami Blackett finished with 13 kills for a total of 15 points in the match as the Wolverines hit .352 in the match. Avery Shewell added nine, and Bella Wooden added eight kills and four blocks. Kansas City (0-2) was led by Kaia Dunford with ten kills.
 
The Wolverines got off to a quick start, jumping with a 7-0 run to break a 3-3 tie with four Kansas City attack errors and kills from Blackett before Lani Matavao added a service ace to make it 10-3. Utah Valley broke the opening set with Evalyn Chism after a kill made it 16-8; she held the service for the next four points and added a service ace. The Roos kept chipping away and came within 23-20 before Shewell ended the set with a pair of her nine kills in the match.
 
Utah Valley trailed early in the second set 11-8 before an 8-1 with Shewell holding the service, kills from Blackett and Wooden, and an ace made it 16-12. Wooden, in her second UVU match, played well in a 5-1 stretch that featured two kills and a block assist to 18-13. Kansas City once again chipped away at the UVU deficit and got as close as 20-18; the lead for the Wolverines was pushed back out to 22-18 following a service ace and a kill from Shewell.
 
The match's final set saw 14 ties and four lead changes as the teams went back and forth. The Roos led 5-3 early in the set before the Wolverines chipped away at the early lead with a 4-0 run to take a 7-5 lead. The teams traded points in the middle of the set, but it was a kill from Wooden and service ace from Blackett that put UVU up 17-15.
 
Kansas City battled back and regained the lead at 20-19 and were poised to force a fourth set. Utah Valley had one final run in them that started with kills from Hakes and Blackett before a block assist by Hakes and Alyvia Jaffa made it 22-20. The two former WAC foes would trade points until a service error gave UVU match point and Natalie Palmer provided a match clinching service ace.
 
Shewell's nine kills move her to 14th all-time in the UVU record, passing Erica Nish. She needs 28 kills to pass Sarah Clement for 13^th. Palmer's service ace to secure the match tonight tied her for 13^th all-time in aces with Nish. Chism recorded her 500^th assist in tonight's match, and she currently has 501 for her career. She needs 34 to pass Aulani Carter and to move into UVU's top-10.
 
The Wolverines will conclude the opening weekend with a 2:00 p.m. MT match on Saturday, Aug. 31, against CSU Bakersfield. They will head to Montana next weekend for the Ellesyn Invitational in Missoula.