OREM, Utah — Utah Valley women's volleyball opens the 2026 season this weekend by hosting the Utah Valley Invitational at Lockhart Arena. The Wolverines will welcome Oregon State, Utah and Utah Tech for their annual tournament.
 
Action begins Friday, Aug. 28, as Utah Valley faces Utah Tech before taking on Utah later in the day.
 
BROADCAST INFO
All three Utah Valley matches will stream on ESPN+, with Matt Baiamonte and Kayli Doxey on the call. Live statistics for all matches will be available at GoUVU.com/stats.
 
SEASON PREVIEW
The Wolverines are coming off their first Western Athletic Conference regular-season title and third WAC Tournament championship as they prepare for their inaugural season in The Big West.
 
Utah Valley was picked to finish fourth in The Big West preseason coaches poll and received one first-place vote. Cal Poly was selected as the conference favorite, earning the remaining 11 first-place votes. The Wolverines also placed three athletes on the preseason all-conference team.
 
Utah Valley returns a veteran core that won a conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Leading the group is setter Evalyn Medaris, who earned seven WAC Setter of the Week honors over the past two seasons and was named the 2025 WAC Setter of the Year.
 
SLCC transfer Myka Christensen joins the roster and could see time in the back row. Brooke Stauffer also returns after missing time due to injury last season.
 
Lani Toutai returns as Utah Valley's starting libero after earning second-team All-WAC honors in 2025. She will look to continue climbing the program's record book. Kenna McClure and Brighton Richards provide additional depth at defensive specialist/libero.
 
The Wolverines continued their tradition as one of the nation's top blocking teams and will look to replace the production of Bella Wooden. Alyvia Watkins is expected to take on a larger role after finishing 14th nationally in blocks per set last season. Weber State transfer Brielle Rueckert returns to Utah County after recording 267 career blocks and 386 kills with the Wildcats.
 
Maranda Woolf, a fifth-year player, saw limited action last season but totaled 74 blocks and 72 kills during the 2024 campaign. Kambri Kuhni, a transfer from Salt Lake Community College, could see time at both middle blocker and outside hitter.
 
Utah Valley expects to utilize a balanced offensive attack this season. Olivia Gloeckner returns after recording 110 kills and 77 total blocks last year. Senior Madi Standifird is expected to take on an expanded role after totaling 12 kills last season.
 
The Wolverines also welcome several newcomers, led by Miley Thunstrom, who transferred from Saint Mary's after posting 128 kills (1.97 per set) last season. Freshman Chloe Hansen earned first-team all-state honors in Idaho, while Bree Carson joins the program after a four-year varsity career. London Armstrong, a freshman right-side hitter, also earned all-state recognition in Idaho.
 
SCOUTING UTAH TECH
Utah Tech is coming off the best season in its Division I era, finishing 21-6 overall and 10-2 in WAC play. The Trailblazers shared the regular-season title with Utah Valley before the Wolverines defeated Utah Tech in a five-set WAC Tournament championship match.
 
Utah Tech lost several key contributors from last season's squad, including Kennedi Knudsen, but returns significant talent. Utah County native Tessa Treanor is back after recording 11 kills in two of the three meetings against Utah Valley last season.
 
Opposite hitter Nana Asiata returns to the state after previously competing at Weber State, while Sydney Reese anchors the middle for a team that ranked among the region's top blocking units a year ago.
 
SCOUTING UTAH
 Utah finished 15-15 overall and 7-11 in Big 12 play last season. The Utes earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Northern Iowa in five sets during the opening round.
 
Utah enters the season under first-year head coach Beth Launiere's successor and returns one of the nation's top players in Kamryn Gibadlo. An All-American and first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2025, Gibadlo led the Utes in both kills and digs.
 
SCOUTING OREGON STATE
Oregon State finished 19-9 overall and 13-5 in its final season in the West Coast Conference. The Beavers return to the Pac-12 for the 2026 campaign.
 
Alana Marrs is Oregon State's top returning attacker after totaling 220 kills last season. The Beavers also added several transfers, including setter Jackie Matias from Hawaii, who recorded 641 assists.
 
Oregon State's 2026 roster includes newcomers from LSU, Oregon and Wake Forest.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley travels to the South Dakota Classic next week, hosted by the University of South Dakota. The Wolverines will face South Dakota, Northern Iowa and Air Force during the three-day tournament.