The Utah Valley volleyball team struggled to get things going on the road once again as they fell on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the hands of California Baptist University 3-1, which was the sixth loss in eight games for the green and white.
UVU will have to go back to the basics if they wish to make any run at the WAC title next weekend.
UVU controlled the first set the entirety of the way to take a 1-0 lead for the match. The Wolverines were down 19-15 following a 5-0 run by the Lancers in the middle of the set. UVU closed the gap and ended the set on a 10-4 burst to take the first set.
The Lancers controlled the pace the rest of the sets and didn’t allow the Wolverines to make any kind of comeback. UVU played behind much of the time and CBU did a good job of keeping distance between them and the Wolverines.
CBU used two different runs of 7-3 in the second set to easily hand UVU their first loss of the match 25-20. CBU started the third set on an 8-2 run and, after UVU answered the call with a 6-0 spurt to inch within one, CBU responded with a 7-2 run and maintained the lead to win the third set 25-21. In the fourth set, CBU went on streaks of 6-0 and 11-3 to secure the victory in the match.
UVU concludes the regular season with a 7-9 record in conference play and a 10-18 overall record heading into the WAC tournament next weekend in Orem.
Sophomore outside hitter Kazna Tarawhiti tallied 21 kills with a strong .425 hitting percentage and added a pair of blocks and seven digs from the back-row. Senior middle blocker Jasmine Niutupuivaha also earned eight kills and five major blocks at the net against the Lancers.
Collectively, UVU out-blocked CBU 11-9 and posted an impressive .250 hitting average on the day with 51 kills.
UVU will now host their first WAC volleyball tournament from Nov. 21-23, in Lockhart Arena. The Wolverines are projected as the No. 5 seed heading into post-season conference play, and will play UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m. MST.
