ARLINGTON, Texas — The Western Athletic Conference announced its annual postseason volleyball awards ahead of this week's WAC Tournament in Abilene. Utah Valley claimed two major honors, with senior Avery Page named WAC Player of the Year and Evalyn Chism earning Setter of the Year.
Joining Page and Chism on the All-WAC First Team are Sami Blackett and Bella Wooden, while Alyvia Jaffa and Lani Matavao received second-team honors.
"Avery has continued to grow throughout her career and embrace the opportunities she's had — the program, the coaching and her teammates — and has really helped propel herself to a level that's been so fun to watch," UVU head coach Sam Atoa said. "I'm thrilled for the whole group and what they've done. They have all worked really hard, and we got here because of their buy-in and what they have accomplished this season."
Page concludes her Utah Valley career as a four-time All-WAC honoree. This marks the second major postseason award of her career after she was named WAC Freshman of the Year in 2022. In 2025, she recorded 299 kills and averaged 3.40 kills per set. Her offensive production, highlighted by 4.07 points per set, helped lead the Wolverines to their first WAC regular-season championship. She was also a two-time WAC Player of the Week and tallied 13 or more kills in six conference matches.
Chism, the preseason WAC Setter of the Year, now adds the postseason honor as well. She has averaged 6.66 assists per set during her junior season as Utah Valley returned to a 5-2 formation, which she previously ran as a freshman. Chism earned two WAC Setter of the Week awards this year and surpassed 2,000 career assists, becoming just the sixth player in program history to reach the milestone.
Blackett earned First Team All-WAC recognition for the second time in her career. She has averaged more than three kills per set and formed a strong 1-2 punch with Page on the outside. She recorded 10 or more kills in five WAC matches this season, including 14 against Abilene Christian in the regular-season finale, helping Utah Valley secure the WAC title.
Wooden, the nation's leading blocker, earned her first All-WAC selection with a First Team nod. One of the country's most dominant defensive players, she has recorded 21 solo blocks and 146 block assists for 167 total blocks this season. She posted a season-high 13 total blocks in September against Weber State and added 11 more against ACU in Salt Lake City, earning WAC Player of the Week honors.
Jaffa earned the first All-WAC honor of her career after emerging late in her freshman season and elevating her play this year. She has set career highs in kills, hitting percentage, digs, solo blocks and total blocks. Ranked No. 16 nationally in blocks per set at 1.46, she recorded a career-high 11 blocks against California Baptist and had nine against BYU. She reached double-digit kills three times this season, doing so against Navy, Utah and Tarleton State.
Matavao, a 2023 WAC All-Freshman Team selection, earned her first appearance on the league's first or second teams. The eight-time Libero of the Week enters the WAC Tournament with 300 digs and averages 3.37 digs per set. She has recorded at least 10 digs in eight matches, including a season-high 21 against Utah Tech. She also reached double digits twice against Power Four opponents, finishing with 14 digs against Utah and 19 against BYU.
Utah Valley opens the 2025 WAC Tournament on Friday against either Abilene Christian or UT Arlington. Match time is set for 6 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. CT at Moody Coliseum in Abilene.
