OREM, Utah – Utah Valley swept Southern Utah 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-13) on Thursday night inside Lockhart Arena. Utah Valley (11-9, 7-1) dominated the match, hitting .493—its third-highest mark ever—while totaling 14 blocks on defense. The strong defensive effort limited SUU (2-17, 1-7) to just .010 hitting in the match.
 
Bella Wooden turned in another standout performance, finishing with a team-high nine blocks to add to her nation-leading total. She also tallied three kills and four digs. Avery Page recorded a team-high eight kills to lead a balanced offensive attack, with Sami Blackett adding seven kills and Alyvia Jaffa contributing six.
 
"I talked to them prior to the match about being confident in our preparation and consistency," said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. "For us to be successful, we have to continue to do those things at a high level regardless of our opponent. We play at this high level in practice, and it carried over to the match tonight."
 
The first set opened with the Thunderbirds taking an early lead, but the Wolverines quickly responded. Behind Wooden's steady play—including a crucial kill from Evalyn Chism—Utah Valley tied the score at 8-8. A pivotal moment came as the Wolverines capitalized on SUU's attack errors, with Page and Wooden leading the defensive front to extend the lead to 16-10. Wooden recorded her 300th career block assist during the set, moving into sixth all time in the category. The Wolverines maintained their momentum, with key kills from Olivia Gloeckner and Jaffa, closing out the set 25-19.
 
Utah Valley carried its energy into the second set, building a commanding 7-2 lead behind a series of blocks from Wooden and Page. The Wolverines capitalized on SUU's errors and pushed the advantage to 19-10 after a block assist from Gloeckner and Jaffa. Senior Natalie Riggs helped seal the set from the service line, contributing two assists—including one to Alyssa Erickson—before teaming with Jaffa on a block assist to finish the frame, 25-12.
 
The Wolverines seized control early in the third set with a quick run sparked by an Erickson kill assisted by Chism. A series of SUU errors and strong attacks from Page and Blackett pushed the lead to 7-1. UVU's offense was particularly sharp in the set, committing just one hitting error and hitting .714 to close out the match.
 
As the set progressed, Utah Valley continued to dominate with strategic plays and effective blocking, highlighted by Page and Chism contributing key kills. Despite a brief surge from SUU, the Wolverines maintained control, with a decisive kill from Madi Standifird—assisted by Riggs—sealing the 25-13 win and the sweep.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will host California Baptist on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. MT in the home finale.