Women's Volleyball | 11/12/2024 2:00:00 PM

Match #25
Who | Utah Tech (15-9, 9-5 WAC) at Seattle U (6-18, 4-10 WAC)
When | Thursday, Nov. 14 – 7 p.m. MT
Where | Redhawk Center - Seattle, Wash.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

Match #26
Who | Utah Tech (15-9, 9-5 WAC) vs. UT Arlington (24-2, 14-0 WAC)
When | Saturday, Nov. 16 – 10 a.m.
Where | Burns Arena - St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

OPENING SERVE
Utah Tech enters the final week of the regular season after dropping a pair of matches on the road last week at Grand Canyon and California Baptist.

The Trailblazers fell in four sets at both GCU and CBU winning the third set in each matches.

The Blazers were led in kills against the Lopes by Tessa Treanor with 12 while Marley Roe had a team-leading 24 assists.

Two days later, Utah Tech fell at California Baptist despite a double-double by Kennedi Knudsen with 27 kills and 10 digs. Treanor also notched a double-double totaling 16 kills and 11 digs.

The Trailblazers led the Lancers in kills (63-57), blocks (10-8), digs (66-62) and hitting percentage (.276-.247).

WAC STANDINGS
The Trailblazers enter the final week of the regular season sitting third in the WAC with a 9-5 conference mark. UT Arlington clinched the outright WAC regular season title on Monday (14-0) while Grand Canyon has locked up the second seed (11-4).

Utah Valley is one match behind the Blazers sitting 8-6 hosting Tarleton State and Southern Utah this week.

WAC TOURNAMENT
The Trailblazers clinched a berth in the WAC Tournament on Oct. 31 with its sweep over Seattle U and are set to be a top four seed at next week's WAC Tournament.

Set for next Thursday through Saturday (Nov. 21-23) in Arlington, Texas, the top eight teams in the final regular season standings qualify for the tournament with the winner earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

WINNING STREAK COMES TO AN END
UT saw its five-match winning streak, its longest since 2019, come to an end at Grand Canyon last Thursday. The Trailblazers' 15 wins this season are their most in a season since winning 20 matches in 2019.

DOUBLE DIGIT WIN SEASONS
For the second time in the Trailblazers' five seasons in Division I, Utah Tech has reached double digit wins with 15 victories.

It is Utah Tech's winningest season in the Division I era, surpassing the 11 wins the Blazers tallied in 2022.

WAC RANKINGS
As a team, the Trailblazers rank second in the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.168) & sit third in assists per set (11.81), blocks per set (2.57), digs per set (14.23), kills per set (12.84) and total blocks (231.5).

Individually, junior Casidy Fried has been a stalwart at the net ranking second in the WAC in blocks per set (1.47) & is fourth in total blocks (131.0) while ranking top 15 nationally in both categories.

Knudsen, who has earned WAC Player of the Week honors the past two seasons and has led the Trailblazers in kills in 21 of 24 matches this season, ranks fourth in the conference in kills (358) and is fifth in kills per set (3.98). 

Laufiso checks in sixth in the WAC in digs (320) and has led the Blazers in digs in 16 matches.

SWEEPS ON SWEEPS
The Trailblazers have notched nine sweeps so far this season, their most since posting 11 in 2018.

KNUDSEN NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR A SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK
Helping the Trailblazers sweep a pair of matches two weeks ago, Knudsen earned her second straight WAC Player of the Week honor on Nov. 6.

Knudsen set a single match program record with 34 kills against UVU adding a team-best four service aces along with seven digs, two blocks and two assists.

Earlier in the week, she led the team with 18 kills while hitting a career-best .531 to go along with four digs and three blocks in a sweep over Seattle U.

HOWARD MOVING UP THE RANKS
Redshirt senior opposite hitter Hannah Howard continues to ascend in the career ranks in both kills (732 - 4th) and attacks (2,104 - 4th) this season.

Howard has tallied double-digit kills in eight contests with a season-high 15 against Utah Valley on Senior Night on Nov. 2. 

She also ranks ninth all-time in sets played entering the week with 325 sets under her belt.

A LOOK AT SEATTLE U
The Redhawks are 6-18 overall on the season and 4-10 in the WAC, tied with Abilene Christian for seventh in the conference. 

Still fighting for one of the final two bids to the WAC Tournament next week, Seattle U is 3-4 at home with wins over Southern Utah, Abilene Christian and California Baptist.

The Redhawks currently rank third in the WAC in service aces per set (1.66) and are fifth in team service aces (144).

Individually, senior defensive specialist/libero Katlyn Spies ranks fourth in the WAC in digs per set (3.94) and junior outside hitter Merima Smajlovic ranks fourth in the conference in both aces per set (0.40) & service aces (35).

SERIES HISTORY VS. SEATTLE U
The Trailblazers lead the all-time series against Seattle U, 7-1 winning the last seven meetings against the Redhawks.

Sweeping SU at home on Halloween this season, the Trailblazers are 3-1 against the Redhawks in Seattle with sweeps in their last two trips to Seattle.

A LOOK AT UT ARLINGTON
The Mavericks come into the week 24-2 overall and a perfect 14-0 in the WAC having already wrapped up the conference regular season crown. 

Currently on a 15-match winning streak, UTA, who plays at Southern Utah on Thursday, is 8-1 on the road this season with its lone loss at then-No. 23 TCU on Sept. 17.

UTA leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.281), assists per set (12.74) and kills per set (13.77)

Individually, graduate student setter Mollie Blank leads the WAC in assists per set (10.66) while graduate student outside hitter Brianna Ford sits atop the WAC and ranks in the top 35 in the country in kills per set (4.39) and kills (391).

SERIES HISTORY VS. UT ARLINGTON
The Trailblazers and Mavericks have played three times in program history with Utah Tech leading the series, 2-1. 

UTA won for the first time in series history earlier this season in Arlington with a sweep over UT on Oct. 19.    

The Blazers won a five-set win battle at home over UTA in 2023 coming back from an 0-2 deficit to complete a reverse sweep. 

UT also came out on top in the first meeting between the two programs in a five-set contest in Arlington in 2022.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers head to the WAC Tournament next week hosted by UT Arlington at College Park Center on Nov. 21-23.