RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Utah Valley women's volleyball swept California Baptist, 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-19) on Thursday night at Van Dyne Gym. UVU (8-9, 4-1) hit .378 as a team for their highest attack percentage of the season, only committing four attack errors in the match against CBU (6-12, 2-4). It is UVU's first win in Riverside since the 2021 season.
 
Sami Blackett finished with ten kills in the match for the Wolverines, with Avery Page adding seven on 13 swings for a .538 hitting percentage. She had added two service aces that gave her 136 for her career, tying her with Kathleen Stevens (2010) for second all-time in aces. Bella Wooden finished with four kills, two aces, and five total blocks in the match. She passed Makalia Jarema (2019) for sixth all-time in total blocks tonight.  

"What a great team win it was for us. We struggled early with our serve pass game but as the match went on we did so much better in the second and third sets," said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. "We played an all around great match both on offense and defense!! We are managing the game very well!"
 
Utah Valley initiated the first set with a strong opening, establishing a 4-0 lead with contributions from Blackett and Alyssa Erickson. Despite a brief rally by California Baptist that leveled the score at 4-4, Utah Valley responded with a 3-0 run to regain the lead. Defensive efforts by Wooden and Page were crucial in maintaining momentum for the visiting team. The set remained competitive, with the teams trading points until the Wolverines capitalized on attack errors by California Baptist, allowing them to extend their advantage to 21-16. The Lancers committed 12 attack errors in the opening set to hit in the negative. Late in the set, Page's service ace and a kill by Blackett helped secure the set as Utah Valley closed out the first with a 25-21 victory.
 
The Wolverines capitalized on early momentum in the second set, building an early lead as Blackett and Alyvia Jaffa delivered key kills. The team extended the advantage with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a combination of opponent errors and a service ace by Evalyn Chism, pushing the score to 13-7. Chism finished with 13 assists and four digs. Fellow setter Natalie Riggs added ten assists and eight digs. Stellar defensive plays, including a block by Steliyana Chakarova and Jaffa, widened the gap. Utah Valley closed the set decisively with a series of strong offensive plays, including back-to-back kills from Chakarova, sealing the set at 25-13.
 
The Wolverines began the third set with a strong service performance from Blackett, who delivered two consecutive aces to propel the team into an early lead. Page's kill extended the margin to 4-2, setting the tone for the set. As the set progressed, Utah Valley maintained its edge with contributions from multiple players, including a service ace from Wooden and a pivotal block by Blackett and Wooden. The team capitalized on California Baptist's errors and added key kills from Erickson and Blackett to extend their advantage. In the closing moments, the Wolverines continued to widen the gap with a service ace by Lani Matavao and a decisive kill by Erickson to seal the set. The period concluded with Utah Valley taking a 25-19 victory, securing a commanding lead in the match.
 
The Wolverines finished the match with nine service aces, which ties the team's season high. They also had nine in the Boise State and Hawai'i matches.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will close out the road trip with a match on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 12:30 p.m. MT against Southern Utah (2-14, 1-4) from the America First Event Center. The match will air on ESPN+ with live stats on UVUstats.com.