Wolverines have won eight of nine and are now three games over .500
Kyle Bruderer | Sports writer | @Brudkyle
The Utah Valley University volleyball team must have filled their carry-on bags with momentum for their four-match road trip. Head coach Sam Atoa and the Wolverines won their fifth straight match and eighth of their last nine by defeating Grand Canyon University in four sets on Thursday night (25-22, 27-29, 25-20, 25-20).
“It’s nice to pick up another conference win on the road tonight, but it wasn’t without its challenges,” Atoa said in a statement to wolverinegreen.com. “Our passing struggled at times and we had far too many reception errors. However, I was pleased that the girls were able to come through when needed and overall they did a nice job of hitting the ball offensively as well as blocking defensively at the net.”
Freshman Abby Jensen and sophomore Sierra Starley each recorded a double-double for the fourth time this season. Jensen finished with 11 kills and 11 digs while Starley filled the assists cup up with a match high of 40 and also notched 11 digs. Sophomore Lexi Thompson was just one dig short of a double-double as well, but she did lead the Wolverines with a team-high 16 kills in the win. UVU was fantastic defensively as they finished with a season-high 15 blocks. Senior Lauren Bakker was a beast at the net notching seven blocks and sophomore Madison Dennison chipped in 12 kills of her own while also recording six blocks.
UVU is now 13-10 overall and 8-2 in conference play keeping them at second place in the WAC. They will continue their four game road trip at CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT.
