Though UVU’s athletic teams have struggled on the road this season, their efforts at home have yielded significant success. At week’s end, both the women’s soccer and volleyball teams were undefeated at home, something that hasn’t always been the case for the Wolverines.
After surviving in overtime to remain unbeaten at home, the lady Wolverine soccer team went on the road where they lost two of three — a 3-2 win in Cedar City over Southern Utah University, followed by back-to-back losses to Wyoming and UC Davis.
The Wolverine volleyball team has been a much better team in the friendly confines of the Shurian Activities Center staying undefeated at home by defeating Weber State to improve to 3-0 at home after a 0-5 start.
Luckily enough for UVU, its next three matches are at home, where the Wolverines are a much stronger team.
The reason for superior play at home is consistent throughout sports at all levels of competition. Whether it’s the fans in the seats, favorable calls or just familiarity with the surroundings, it’s an apparent advantage to be at home.
As a small school with upset potential, it’s harder for respected teams to agree to play at UVU and risk losing to a relatively unknown institution. Therefore, the tougher games on the Wolverines schedule in any sport take place on the road. As Utah Valley will enter play in the Great West Conference in the coming years, it will be easier to fill a schedule with home games throughout the year.
