Utah Valley women’s volleyball earned its first win in Big West play on September 23, defeating UC Riverside 3-0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-20) at Lockhart Arena. The Wolverines recorded their first sweep of the season during the matchup.
Miley Thunstrom and Bree Carson led the offensive effort with career-high performances. Thunstrom finished with 17 kills, including the final two kills to secure the first set, while freshman Carson recorded a career-high 13 kills. In the first set, UVU overcame two strong UC Riverside leads, including advantages of 5-1 and 18-13. A 4-0 run featuring two Carson kills, a block assist, and a service ace from Myka Christensen helped pull the Wolverines within 19-18 before a 5-0 spurt allowed UVU to reach set point.
The Wolverines maintained momentum in the second set, building a 5-0 lead following four UC Riverside errors and a service ace from Lani Toutai. Alyvia Watkins contributed four kills in the set to establish a 13-7 advantage. UVU later extended the lead to 17-9 via a service ace from senior setter Evalyn Medaris. Thunstrom added four kills in the set, including two during a late run that helped close out the set.
In the third set, Thunstrom and Carson combined for 13 of UVU’s 17 kills. While the Highlanders rallied to cut a deficit to 20-17, Carson and Thunstrom extended the lead to 22-19. Freshman London Armstrong made her collegiate debut during the set, recording a single kill to move the score to 23-19. Carson finished the match with two kills to complete the sweep. The Wolverines' defense held UC Riverside to a .152 hitting percentage and totaled eight blocks. Medaris contributed three blocks, 34 assists, and a service ace, while Toutai added 20 digs and an ace. UC Riverside was led by Malia Tanksley, who recorded 10 kills.
This victory marks the third time the Wolverines have won their first match in a new league, following previous victories in their first conference matches in the Great West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference.
Utah Valley will conclude the first weekend of conference play on Saturday against California Baptist. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT at Lockhart Arena.
