The Utah Valley University volleyball team heads to Malibu, California, to open its 2015 season at the Pepperdine Asics Classic on Friday. The tournament will include a trio of matches for UVU, as it takes on UC Santa Barbara (11 a.m. MT) and the host Pepperdine Waves (8 p.m. MT) on Friday before closing the weekend against Incarnate Word (11 a.m. MT) on Saturday.
Friday evening's contest against Pepperdine will be streamed live on thew.tv, while live stats for all three matches can be followed by visiting the Pepperdine Sports website.
"We're all anxious to get on the road and compete. This will be a really good tournament for us to open the season at and will feature some solid competition," Wolverine head coach Sam Atoa said. "The girls have practiced hard and are ready to get out and put it together on the court."
About the opposition
UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish third in the Big West Preseason Poll after going 13-14 overall and placing sixth in conference play with an 8-8 clip last season. The Gauchos return six starters from last season and are paced offensively by seniors Ali Barbeau and Jaylen Villanueva, who went one and two in kills for UCSB in 2014 with averages of 2.70 and 2.54 per set, respectively.
The host Waves are coming off a 12-18 season in 2014 and a seventh-place West Coast Conference finish with a 7-11 league mark. Pepperdine was recently tabbed to take seventh again this year in the league's preseason poll and senior setter Becca Strehlow was selected preseason all-conference. Strehlow led Pepperdine with an avearge of 8.3 assists per match last season and was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2013.
Incarnate Word was picked to finish ninth in the Southland Conference Preseason Poll this year after going 10-24 overall and 6-10 in league play last season. The Cardinals only lost one player from last year's team and will look to be led by senior Angelique Vidaurri who topped the team in kills in 2014 with an average of 3.32. UIW is in its third year of transition from Division II and will be ineligible for postseason play this season.
Up next for UVU
Following this weekend's tournament, UVU will continue its 11-match road swing away from home at Idaho State on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The Wolverines and Bengals face off at 6 p.m., in Pocatello that evening before Utah Valley continues its preseason tournament play at the NDSU Invitational in Fargo, North Dakota, on Sept. 4.
2015 season preview
Utah Valley was picked to finish fifth in the WAC Preseason Poll last week after tying for fourth a season ago with an 8-6 league record. The Wolverines finished 14-18 overall in 2014 to mark just the first time in the past 10 seasons and the third overall that UVU has finished under .500 under the tutelage of 17th-year head coach Atoa.
Atoa will welcome back four starters and 10 letterwinners overall from last year's squad.
"We went through some experiences last year that will hopefully make us better this season," Atoa said. "We've got a great group of new girls that have really added to our skill level to help us be the best in the WAC. The returners, along with our newcomers, are all going to continue to work hard to help us achieve our goals."
Two of the four returning starters for UVU, senior middle blocker Lauren Bakker and the newly married junior outside hitter Macky Fifita (formerly Treanor) were named to the WAC Preseason All-Conference team last week. Bakker wasn't just named preseason all-conference but also the league's preseason player of the year for the second-straight season after leading the WAC in blocks in 2014 with a 1.26 per set average, as well as ranking second in the league in hitting percentage (.352). The 6-foot-1 middle blocker is a three-time first team all-conference performer during her stellar career in Orem, while Fifita was named second team All-WAC last year after leading the Wolverines in kills (331) and kills per set average (2.98).
"We're excited about Lauren and Macky coming back this season and we hope that we'll be able to keep them healthy. Their contributions both on and off the court will be huge for us," Atoa said. "We'll look to them, along with others, to help lead the team where we want to go this season."
The other two returning starters are sophomore setter Sierra Starley and sophomore middle blocker Madison Dennison (formerly Wolford). Starley topped the team in assists last year with a 6.58 per set average, while Dennison was named to the WAC All-Freshmen team after putting up an average of 0.88 blocks per set and a .329 attack percentage.
Besides returning 10 letterwinners along with redshirt senior Jaramey Barney, who was sidelined in 2014 with an injury, the Wolverines also welcome in six newcomers to the fold this season. Defensive specialist Brooklynn Bodily (Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS), outside hitter Josie Bursell (Highland, Utah/Lone Peak HS), outside hitter Alexis Davies (Murray, Utah/Murray HS), outside hitter Abby Jensen (Roseville, California/Roseville HS), defensive specialist Lindsey Tagge (North Salt Lake, Utah/Woods Cross HS) and defensive specialist Sabrina Tanner (Gilbert, Arizona/Gilbert HS) look to make an immediate impact for the Wolverines.
"We've got a couple of young outsides and liberos that will see immediate time on the court for us. It will be hard to replace what McKenna Tait was able to accomplish for us over the last four years at libero, but we've had a nice battle to see who will be starting for us at that position on Friday," Atoa said. "We're encouraged with all our freshmen's play and we hope that we'll be able to get where we need to be come this weekend."
Utah Valley will have a tough stretch ahead for the first month of the season in 2015, as it will play its first 11 matches away from home. Following a trio of preseason tournaments, as well as matches at Idaho State and Utah State, UVU will welcome the 2014 national runner-up and No. 11 BYU Cougars to the PE Building for its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 19. The Wolverines will then begin their third season of play in the Western Athletic Conference on Sept. 24, at Chicago State.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.