By Josh Kiel
The UVU volleyball team concluded their eight-game home stand to begin the season, finishing with a 6-2 record including a win over Syracuse.
“It’s been great, I am very pleased as far as where we are after the home stand,” head coach Sam Atoa said. “We have done a good job on staying focused on each opponent and playing hard, it’s been very encouraging.”
The opponents in the home streak included Michigan, Syracuse, Illinois State, Cal Poly, UC Bakersfield, BYU-Hawaii, Santa Clara, and Northern Arizona.
One of the highlights was UVU’s come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Big East foe Syracuse. In the match the Wolverines fell behind early, losing the first two sets going into the break. They followed up the poor early performance with an impressive second half, culminating in an exciting fifth set comeback victory.
“I was happy with execution that we expected from ourselves right at the beginning of that third set,” Atoa said. “[We] realized that for [us] to be able to be in control, we have to stay focused on our game, and we did that very well. In the fifth set we kept our composure even when they made a run and we were down 10-12, we only gave them one more point and we were able to score five more points.”
The Syracuse victory was a big confidence boost for a team that has struggled against even competition. The two loses came against Michigan, ranked in the top 25, and Northern Arizona, who swept through the Wolverine Invitational.
Next up for the Wolverines is a road trip lasting through Oct. 6. The trip will include The Falcon Tournament, hosted by the Air Force Academy and includes a rematch against Northern Arizona and games against Air Force and South Carolina Upstate. The following weekend the girls will play against Saint Mary’s, Kansas State, and Sacramento State.
“It’s different on the road for sure, being away from the comforts of home,” Atoa said. “We hope that there have been great lessons that we can use from this experience that will lead to us being successful on the road.”
To do so, the Wolverines are going to need the production they have been getting from the experienced players such as Brookelyn Campbell, Lindsay Barker, and Chelsey Heaps. They will also need the younger players who have been stepping , including Patti Flagg, McKenna Tait, Kalani Norris, and Erin Jolley.
“Patti played very well against BYU-Hawaii, she dug a lot of balls,” Atoa said. “She’s been able to contribute. It felt like Erin [Jolley], in the time that she’s had, she’s been able to execute and keep things on tempo for us. I think that we focus a lot on the kids that play the most. However, it’s those that give us significant production in the short time that they are in that’s huge for us, and we for sure recognize what they do.”
