After tying for second place a year ago and earning a runner-up finish at the 2016 Western Athletic Conference Tournament, the Utah Valley University volleyball team opens WAC play on Saturday at Seattle University. First serve for the conference opener is set for 4 p.m. MT, at SU's Connolly Complex.
The WAC opener will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network, and live stats for the contest will also be available online via SeattleStats.com.
The Wolverines enter the contest with a 5-10 overall record after dropping a trio of in-state matches when they wrapped up non-conference play last week. Utah Valley first fell to Weber State in four sets in Ogden, before dropping a pair of 3-1 setbacks to No. 16 Utah and No. 14 BYU at home on back-to-back nights.
In a tightly contested UCCU Crosstown Clash against the ranked Cougars last Saturday (21-25, 25-22, 24-26, 17-25), UVU won the second set by a score of 25-22 to tie the match at 1-1. With the third set knotted up late at 24-24, BYU managed to string together consecutive points to take the third set, 26-24, and went on to finish the match with a 25-17 fourth-set victory.
Lexi Thompson, Alexis Davies and Madison Dennison led the way for the Wolverines against Brigham Young by each tallying double figures in kills. Thompson paced the group with 12, while Davies added 11 and Dennison chipped in 10. Dennison also added a match-high eight blocks, while Megan Boudreaux chipped in a season-high nine kills and a .438 hitting percentage and Sierra Starley dished out a team-best 41 assists.
Thompson, Dennison and Starley were tabbed preseason all-WAC for UVU prior to the season. Thompson enters the weekend leading the Wolverines in kills on the season with a 3.27 per set average, while Dennison is right behind her with a 2.79 kills per set clip and a team-best .295 hitting percentage. Starley leads the team in assists with a 10.12 assists per set average. Dennison also leads UVU and the WAC in blocks with 85 and a 1.52 blocks per set clip. Her tallies are also good enough to rank her second in the nation in total blocks and 14th in blocks per set average.
The Wolverines were picked to finish third in the WAC this season after tying for second with a 10-4 league record a year ago and advancing to the 2016 WAC Tournament title match.
UVU in conference openers
Utah Valley enters Saturday's Western Athletic Conference opener with a 3-1 all-time record in WAC season openers. UVU's lone loss came last season at UT Rio Grande Valley on Sept. 22, in four sets. The Wolverines also hold a 7-1 all-time record in conference openers at the NCAA Division I level, as they went a perfect 4-0 in league openers during their Great West Conference days (2009-2012).
About Seattle U
The Redhawks enter Saturday's matinee with a 4-9 overall record after splitting their past four contests. SU first earned a 3-1 win at Eastern Kentucky, before going 1-2 at the SIUE Cougar Invite with a 3-0 victory over Montana in Edwardsville, Illinois, last week. Seattle U also holds wins over Loyola-Chicago and Bowling Green on the season. The Redhawks were picked to tie for fifth in the WAC this season after going 13-15 overall and 6-8 in league play a year ago.
Katarina Marinkovic leads SU offensively on the season with a 3.79 kills per set average, while Maja Stojanovic holds a team-best .335 attack percentage and a 0.91 kills per set clip.
All-time series vs. Seattle U
Saturday's matchup will mark the 12th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and the Redhawks. Utah Valley enters play holding a slim 6-5 series advantage after winning both contests last season, which included a 3-0 sweep in Seattle.
Up next for UVU
The Wolverines continue WAC play with two more road matches next week. UVU first faces Grand Canyon in Phoenix on Thursday, Sept. 28, before heading to California for a date with CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Sept. 30. Utah Valley will then return home the following week for home contests against UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday, Oct. 5, and New Mexico State on Saturday, Oct. 7.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.