NEW MEXICO TOURNAMENT: Utah Tech will head to Albuquerque, N.M. for the New Mexico Lobo Invitational hosted by the Lobos on Friday and Saturday at The Pit. The Trailblazers will also take on St. John's and CSU Bakersfield in addition to the host Lobos. 

OPENING WEEKEND: Utah Tech opened up the 2023 season last weekend at the Weber State Tournament sweeping Manhattan in the tournament finale. The Trailblazers also squared off against host Weber State, suffering a tough five-set loss in the season opener, and fell in four sets versus Saint Mary's. A pair of Trailblazers earned all-tournament honors in Taela Laufiso after tallying 105 assists, 15 kills, 29 digs and two total blocks. Senior libero Emma Ricks totaled 46 digs and 11 assists in Utah Tech's three matches.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Facing all three opponents this weekend for the first time in program history, the Trailblazers will take on opponents from the Big East, Big West and Mountain West conferences.

St. John's has started the season 2-1 with a four-set win over Ole Miss and a five-set win against Florida Gulf Coast on opening weekend at the FGCU Invitational. The Red Storm are coming off a 20-14 overall record in 2022 and a 10-8 mark in the Big East finishing in a tie for fourth in the league with UConn and Butler and advanced to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. It will be the Trailblazers' first time facing an opponent from the Big East.

CSU Bakersfield has started the 2023 season with a perfect 3-0 mark with sweeps over Eastern Washington & Providence as well as a four-set win over Southern Utah at the Roadrunner Classic. The Roadrunners posted a 7-25 mark in 2022 and a 4-16 record in the Big West (tied for ninth) while being selected eighth in this year's Big West preseason poll. UT is 1-1 all-time against Big West opponents with a win over Fullerton last season and fell to Long Beach State in the fall of 2021.

New Mexico is off to a 2-1 start to the season with a sweep over Seton Hall, a five-set win over UC Irvine before closing out the weekend falling in four sets to San Francisco. The Lobos went 17-12 overall in 2022 with an 8-10 mark in the MW to finish fifth in the league. UNM tied for fourth in the MW preseason poll. This will be the Trailblazers' fourth meeting against a Mountain West foe posting a 1-2 record with a win over Nevada in 2022 and losses to UNLV (2022) and Boise State (Fall 2021).

ON THE ROAD: Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006, Utah Tech has recorded an 94-93 (.503) record in true-road games and has logged a winning record on the road nine times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019). Additionally, the Trailblazers have posted a 38-50 (.432) record in neutral-site games, including a 1-1 mark this season. 

COACHING STAFF: Camilla Hafoka (Oregon State, 2010; 19-29 overall record) is in her fifth season with the Trailblazer program, and her third season as head coach as Utah Tech begins its fourth NCAA Division I campaign. During her time on the Trailblazer sidelines, Coach Hafoka helped lead the Trailblazers to a 41-30 overall record. In her first season as an assistant coach, the program played to a 20-8 overall record in the program's final year of NCAA Division II competition. In spring of 2021, Hafoka helped guide the team to a 9-8 overall mark in its debut NCAA Division I season, which included an 8-8 mark (t-4th) in its first season in the Western Athletic Conference. The Blazers then played to a 7-15 mark during Hafoka's first season at the helm in the fall of 2021, though they managed to improve by four victories with an 11-12 record (5-9 WAC) during the 2022 campaign. 

Hafoka is joined on the UT sideline by second year associate head coach Rob Berrett (Weber State, 2013), while assistant coach Whitnee Tupe (Dixie State, 2007), who served as a Trailblazer assistant coach from 2011-15, returns to the staff for her fifth season and 10th overall. Former Blazer standout Abigail Shaffer begins her first season on the staff as an assistant coach, and Ryan Peterson has joined the program as its technical coordinator.  

A QUICK LOOK AT THE 2023 TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns three starters and six total letter winners from last season's 11-12 squad, led by fifth-year setter Taela Laufiso (759 ast/8.53 aps/102 kills/217 digs/43.0 blocks), along with senior middle blocker Kate Hardy (89.0 blocks/172 kills/18 aces) and senior outside hitter Hannah Howard (88 kills/12.0 blocks).

The Trailblazers also welcome back three talented defensive specialists in senior libero Emma Ricks (200 digs/34 ast/12 aces), and sophomore liberos Kaycee Bugas (9 digs) and Kendyl Holt (33 digs). Utah Tech also welcomed back freshman RS Elise Porter, who played in one match during the 2020-21 season, while nine newcomers, including a pair of four-year transfers, along with three junior college transfers and four freshmen, make up the 2023 Trailblazer roster. 

New Mexico State transfer and Utah native, sophomore MB/RS Taylor Snow (2022 - 76 kills/76 blocks/16 aces), headlines the list of Trailblazer newcomers, while former Kent State outside hitter Kasidy Blumenthal (2022 - 3 kills) also moved back to her home state to join the Utah Tech program after spending two seasons with the Golden Flashes.

The Blazers signed a pair of Snow College transfers in junior All-American MB/RS Tricia Tua'one (2022 - 183 kills/73 blocks/33 digs) and sophomore setter Meg Carter (2022 - 432 ast/18 kills/21 aces/94 digs. Utah Tech also brought in sophomore OH Kennedi Knudsen (401 kills/54 blocks/15 aces), who earned first team all-SWAC honors at USU-Eastern.

In addition, Utah Tech brought in four freshmen, including libero Mya Laufiso, younger sister of current Blazer setter Taela Laufiso, outside hitters Adee Butler and Sydney Reese, and setter Marley Roe. 

TRAILBLAZERS VOTED SEVENTH IN WAC PRESEASON POLL: Utah Tech was picked to finish seventh in the Western Athletic Conference as the league office announced its 2023 volleyball preseason poll on August 17. Defending WAC tournament champions Stephen F. Austin was the overwhelming choice as the favorite as the Lady Jacks collected nine of the 11 first place votes to top the poll with 99 points. Grand Canyon received one first place nod and finished with 87 points, while UTRGV picked up the final first place vote and was selected third with 80 points. Utah Valley wound up in fourth with 74 points, followed by UT Arlington (69 pts) in fifth, California Baptist (69 pts) in sixth, and the Trailblazers in seventh with 45 points. Meanwhile Southern Utah (34 pts), Tarleton (28 pts), Abilene Christian (22 pts) and Seattle U (11 pts) rounded out the 11-team poll. The top-eight teams in the standings will advance on to the 2023 WAC Volleyball Championship Tournament, which will be hosted by Utah Valley, on Nov. 16-18, in Orem, Utah.

UP NEXT: The Trailblazers open up their home slate next weekend hosting Fresno State on Sept. 8-9 at Burns Arena.