Women's Volleyball | 11/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Match #25 - WAC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
Who | No. 7 seed Southern Utah (3-20, 2-10 WAC) vs. No. 2 seed Utah Tech (19-5, 10-2 WAC)
When | Thursday, Nov. 20 – 3 p.m. MT
Where | Moody Coliseum - Abilene, Texas
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

OPENING SERVE
The Trailblazers head to the WAC Tournament this week in Abilene, Texas as the No. 2 seed and will look to win three matches in three days to win the final WAC Tournament championship. 

TRAILBLAZERS TIE FOR SHARE OF WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
The Trailblazers earned a share of the WAC regular season title along with Utah Valley on Saturday afternoon sweeping UT Arlington on Senior Day at Burns Arena.

The Wolverines earned the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament getting the nod over Utah Tech winning the tiebreaker with more sets won over the Trailblazers in the head-to-head matchups.

It was Utah Tech's second WAC regular season title joining softball in 2023.

LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
Utah Tech pushed its winning streak to four last week with a pair of sweeps over Tarleton State and UT Arlington to close out the regular season.

Sophomore outside hitter Emery Harrison led the Trailblazers with a career-high 12 kills in each contest.

GLANCE AT THE SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
Southern Utah finished the regular season with a 3-20 overall record and a 2-10 mark in the WAC.

The Thunderbirds are coming off a pair of strong performances to end the season taking Tarleton State to five sets on Saturday and defeated UT Arlington in four sets on Thursday.

The Thunderbirds finished the regular season fourth in the WAC in blocks per set (2.03) and sixth in aces per set (1.25), service aces (110), total blocks (179.0) & team attacks per set (32.63).

Individually, senior libero Aleeya Jones checks in seventh in digs per set (2.50). Senior opposite hitter Victoria Zibecchi leads SUU with 210 kills and 220 digs.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTHERN UTAH
The Trailblazers have won three straight meetings over Southern Utah to lead the all-time series, 6-5.

Utah Tech swept both contests against the Thunderbirds this season winning sets, 25-13, 25-17, 25-16 in Cedar City on Sept. 25 and 25-16, 25-15, 25-19 at home on Nov. 1.

It will be the first neutral site meeting between the two programs with UT leading 4-1 at home and SUU with a 4-2 advantage in Cedar City.

HOME COOKING
The Trailblazers completed their first-ever perfect home record in program history this season finishing 9-0.

It was the seventh time in program history Utah Tech has secured nine or more home wins joining 2013-16 (9), 2019 (11) and 2018 (12).

WINNING WAYS
Utah Tech has reached the 19-win mark for the fifth time in the program's 20 seasons in the NCAA joining 2014 (22), 2015 (19), 2018 (22) and 2019 (20).

SWEEPS ON SWEEPS
The Trailblazers have notched 12 sweeps this season for their fourth-most sweeps in a season. 

Utah Tech notched 13 sweeps in both 2016 & 2018 and a record 14 in 2011.

WHERE UTAH TECH RANKS IN THE WAC IN 2025
As a team, the Trailblazers lead the WAC in assists per set (12.14), digs per set (14.70), hitting percentage (.226), kills per set (13.38), opponent hitting percentage (.145 - 5th nationally) & team attacks per set (35.98).

UT sits second in the conference and eighth nationally in blocks per set (2.88)  and is also second in total blocks (248.0).

Casidy Fried is tied for second in the WAC in hitting percentage (.323) and ranks third in blocks per set (1.40) & is fourth in blocks (120). 

Taylor Snow checks in fifth in the WAC in blocks (101) & blocks per set (1.20).

Laufiso ranks fourth in the WAC in total digs (325) & digs per set (3.78). Marley Roe checks in fifth in assists per set (5.76) & assists (495).    

BLOCKS
The Trailblazers have notched more blocks than their opponents this season in 19 of their 24 matches this season and are 16-3 when leading holding an advantage in blocks.

Utah Tech tallied a season-high 18 blocks on Oct. 23 at home against Abilene Christian tallying two solo blocks and 32 block assists.

The 18.0 total blocks and 32 block assists are both tied for the third-most in a single match in program history.

FRIED & SNOW CLIMBING THE CAREER BLOCK CHARTS
Both Fried and Snow continue to climb the career block charts as Fried currently ranks fourth in solo blocks (41) and is fifth in block assists (221) & total blocks (262.0).

Snow is not far behind Fried sitting sixth in solo blocks (39) and eighth in block assists (189) & total blocks (230).

2025 SINGLE SEASON MARKS
On the season, Fried sits in a tie for fourth in a single season in hitting percentage (.323), & she is also fourth in solo blocks (21), fifth in total blocks (120) and seventh in block assists (99).

Snow is tied for 10th in total blocks (101) and tied for 11th in block assists (87).

Kennedi Knudsen has the top mark in a single season in kills per set at 4.66.

As a team, the Trailblazers are second in a single season in hitting percentage (.226) & assists per set (12.14), third in kills per set (13.38), fourth in solo blocks (55), fifth in total blocks (248.0) and seventh in blocks assists (386).

WINS PILING UP
Entering action on Tuesday (Nov. 18), 70 Division I teams have posted 19 or more wins this season.

Nebraska leads the nation with 26 victories.

RPI RANKINGS
The Trailblazers enter action on Tuesday (Nov. 18) as the top-ranked team from the WAC in the RPI checking in at 96.

The remaining WAC programs see Utah Valley (145), Tarleton State (190), Abilene Christian (248), UT Arlington (260),California Baptist (286) and Southern Utah (317).       

TRAILBLAZERS WINNING STREAK 
The Trailblazers, who are currently on a four-match winning streak, went on a six-match winning streak earlier this season from Sept. 20-Oct. 11. 

It was the Trailblazers' longest winning streak since 2019 when they won seven straight. It is the ninth time in UT's 20 seasons of the NCAA era they have won six or more matches.

10 - 2014, 2016; 9 - 2015; 8 - 2018; 7 - 2011, 2019; 6 - 2013, 2018, 2025 

KNUDSEN TOPS RECORD CHARTS
Kennedi Knudsen, who has been sidelined with injury since Oct. 4, became the all-time career leader in kills on Sept. 19 against Northern Colorado passing Alex Shearer (850, 2008-11) for the most kills in program history in the NCAA era.

With 975 career kills in 69 matches as a Trailblazer, Knudsen has averaged 3.78 kills per set and racked up 2,617 total attacks, marks both ranking second in program history.

ON THE ROAD
Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006, Utah Tech has recorded a 107-110 (.491) record in true-road matches and has logged a winning record on the road nine times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 & 2025).

Additionally, the Trailblazers have posted a 48-54 (.471) record in neutral-site contests.

The Trailblazers' six road wins this season are their most in the Division I era and most on the road since 2018 (9).

EARLY SEASON TOURNAMENT ACTION
The Trailblazers got the season started at the The Rebel Challenge sweeping CSUB and UNLV while dropping a five-set battle against Iowa.

The following weekend saw the Trailblazers add a pair of sweeps over Weber State and Charleston Southern along with a five-set win over Sacramento State at the Utah Tech Tournament.

The Trailblazers then traveled to the Boise State Invitational earning sweeps over Idaho State and San Francisco while falling in straight sets to Boise State.

Non-conference action wrapped up at the Into the Blue Invitational hosted by Air Force winning four-set battles over Northern Colorado and the Falcons while falling in five sets to Denver.

Nana Asiata and Roe earned All-Tournament honors at the The Rebel Challenge while Laufiso, Fried were tabbed All-Tournament honors and Knudsen was named MVP of the Utah Tech Tournament. Knudsen and Snow were tabbed All-Tournament selections in Boise.

KNUDSEN NAMED WAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior outside hitter Kennedi Knudsen was named the WAC Preseason Player of the Year on Aug. 22.

The Gunnison, Utah native is coming off a Utah Tech single season program record of 395 kills and her 3.99 kills per set last season is tied with Utah Valley's Sami Blackett for the highest among returners in the WAC. 

GOING "BIG" IN 2026
On June 25, 2025, Utah Tech announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference beginning on July 1, 2026. 

A 10-member conference in 2025, the Big Sky will have 11 members in 2026 as the Trailblazers will be joined by Southern Utah as new conference members and Sacramento State will depart for the Big West. 

Northern Colorado won the regular season in 2024 while Sacramento State, who the Trailblazers defeated on Sept. 6, won the tournament title. 

The Trailblazers went 4-0 against Big Sky opponents this season downing Weber State, Sacramento State, Idaho State and Northern Colorado.

COACHING STAFF
Camilla Hafoka (Oregon State, 2010; 61-61 overall record) is in her seventh season overall with the Trailblazer program, and her fifth season as head coach as Utah Tech is in its fifth NCAA Division I campaign.

During her time on the Trailblazer sidelines, Coach Hafoka has helped lead the Trailblazers to a 74-73 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 her first season at the helm 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.     

Hafoka is joined on the UT sideline by second-year associate head coach Shairone Thompson along with assistant coach Whitnee Tupe who returns to the sideline for her third stint with the Trailblazers after stints from 2011-15 and 2019-23.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE 2025 TRAILBLAZERS
Utah Tech returns seven starters and 12 total letter winners from last season's squad along with 2023 letter winner Sydney Reese (opposite hitter) and redshirt freshman defensive specialist/libero Mahealani Ikei.

With the returners split between four seniors, three juniors, five sophomores along with a pair of newcomers in freshmen, Alyia Worthen and Tehanie Waters, the Trailblazers are led by four seniors in Kennedi Knudsen (OH), Taylor Snow (MB), Casidy Fried (MB) and Kaycee Bugas (DS/L).

The three juniors are Tessa Treanor (OH), Marley Roe (S) and Mya Laufiso (L/DS) while the six sophomores are Langi, Reese, Ireland Avalos (S), Emery Harrison (OH), Kaleinani Watson (L/DS) and Nana Asiata (OPP).

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers will look to qualify for the NCAA Tournament set to begin on Dec. 5-6 with the first and second rounds. The NCAA Tournaement selection show is set for 4 p.m. MT on Nov. 30 on ESPN.