Women's Volleyball | 8/27/2025 12:00:00 PM

THE REBEL CHALLENGE
Who | Utah Tech (0-0) vs. CSU Bakersfield (0-0) | vs. Iowa (0-0) | at UNLV (0-0)
When | Friday, Aug. 29 – 5 p.m. MT | Saturday, Aug. 30 – 5 p.m. MT | Sunday, Aug. 31 - 5:30 p.m. MT
Where | Cox Pavilion - Las Vegas, Nev.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

OPENING SERVE
Utah Tech opens the 2025 season this weekend with three matches at The Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas. 

The Trailblazers get tournament action started with a pair of neutral site contests facing CSU Bakersfield on Friday night before taking on Iowa on Saturday evening.

The tournament wraps up on Sunday night with a match up against host UNLV.

ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS
Over its 19-year NCAA era, Utah Tech is 8-11 all-time in season-opening matches (H: 2-1; A: 2-4; N: 4-6).

The Trailblazers open the season with a neutral site match for the 12th time in its NCAA era on Friday when they take on the Roadrunners of CSU Bakersfield.

The Trailblazers are 3-2 in season openers as a Division I member with wins on the road over Southern Utah (3-0) in the spring of 2021 & at Northern Arizona (3-1) in 2022 and won a five-set battle over Denver (3-2) at Weber State last season.

With its first true road match not until Sunday against host UNLV, the Trailblazers are 2-3 in road openers in the Division I era and are 8-11 overall in road openers in the NCAA era.

GLANCE AT THE CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS
The Roadrunners are coming off a 12-18 overall mark in 2024 finishing eighth in the Big West and were selected ninth in the Big West preseason poll released on Aug. 21.

With no returners from last season and welcoming 15 newcomers, the Roadrunners are led by co-interim head coaches Felipe Nogueira and Cinthia Angus.

CSUB adds 10 transfers, including five from the Division I ranks, to go along with five freshmen.

This will be the Trailblazers' second meeting against the Roadrunners after downing CSUB in four sets in Albuquerque, N.M. in 2023.

GLANCE AT THE IOWA HAWKEYES
The Hawkeyes posted a 10-22 record in 2024 while finishing 16th in the 18-team Big Ten with a 4-16 mark.

The Hawkeyes return eight letter winners, including setters Claire Ammeraal and Jenna Meitzler, who combined to record 1,087 assists last season

Junior Hannah Whittingstall leads Iowa in the middle following a sophomore campaign that produced 214 kills, 2.06 kills per set and a .270 hitting percentage. 

The Hawkeyes welcome nine newcomers, including five freshmen, to its 2025 roster. Four transfers join the program, including seniors Milana Moisio (Miami) & Chard'e Vanzandt (Chattanooga) along with liberos Allison Berent (Alabama) and Greta Schlichter (Syracuse).

Head coach Jim Barnes is in his fourth season in Iowa City after stops at Lamar (1996-2001), Wyoming (2002-03), Baylor (2004-15) & Tulane (2016-21).

It will be the Trailblazers' first meeting against the Hawkeyes and third against a member of the Big Ten joining Michigan State (2021) and Michigan (2022).

GLANCE AT THE UNLV REBELS
The Rebels are coming off a 15-14 mark in 2024 and posted an 8-10 record in the Mountain West, good for seventh in the conference.

Tied for sixth in the MW preseason poll along with Wyoming, sophomore outside hitter Basia Latos was named to the MW preseason team.

Junior libero Caleigh King played in all 112 sets last season leading the team with 351 digs & 29 service aces.

Led by third-year head coach Malia Shoji, this will be UT's second meeting against the Rebels after falling in straight sets in Las Vegas in 2022.

TRAILBLAZERS PICKED THIRD IN WAC PRESEASON POLL
The Trailblazers were selected third in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Aug. 22 racking up 25 points and one first-place vote.

Utah Valley earned the top spot with 34 points and five first-place votes while 2024 WAC regular season and tournament champion UT Arlington was picked second with 29 points and the final first-place vote.

The poll was rounded out by California Baptist (21 pts.) in fourth, Abilene Christian (17 pts.) in fifth, Tarleton State (12 pts.) in sixth and Southern Utah (9 pts.) in seventh.

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.

Entering the season with 714 career kills as a Trailblazer, Knudsen is only 137 shy of becoming the program's all-time leader in the category and posted double-figure kills & led the Trailblazers in kills in 24 matches last season.

THAT'S A LOT BACK
The Trailblazers are the top WAC leading returners in kills (82.3, 1046/1271), service aces (90.3, 130/144), digs (91.2, 1329/1457) & blocks (84.3, 209.5/248.5) and return the third-most sets (76.4, 896/1173).

The only other WAC team to rank in the top three in all five categories is preseason WAC favorite Utah Valley while 2024 WAC regular season and tournament champion UT Arlington is in the bottom three in all five categories after many departures.

WHERE UTAH TECH RANKED IN THE WAC IN 2024
As a team, the Trailblazers ranked second in the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.178 - 47th nationally) in 2024 while siting third in assists per set (11.85), blocks per set (2.51 - 39th nationally), digs per set (14.72), kills per set (12.84) and fourth in total blocks (248.5).

Individually, Casidy Fried was a stalwart at the net ranking second in the WAC in blocks per set (1.45) & fourth in total blocks (142.0), marks that ranked top 50 nationally in both categories.

Knudsen led or tied for the team lead in kills in 24 of 27 matches last season and ranked fourth in the conference in kills (395) and is fifth in kills per set (3.95). 

Mya Laufiso checked in sixth in the WAC in digs (365) and led the Blazers in digs in 18 matches.

KNUDSEN SETS SINGLE SEASON KILL RECORD
Knudsen set the Utah Tech program record for most kills in a single season in 2024 with 395 and her 3.99 kills per set were second-best in a single season while her 1,033 total attacks were fourth-most in a single season.

She also set the single-match record for kills with 34 in a five-set win over Utah Valley.

FRIED BREAKS OUT IN 2024 AS A BLOCKING MACHINE
Senior middle blocker Casidy Fried was a blocking machine for the Trailblazers in her first season at Utah Tech finishing second all-time in program history in total blocks (142) & block assists (122), fourth in solo blocks (20) along with ranking seventh in hitting percentage (.308).

TRAILBLAZERS RACK UP SEVEN TOP 10 MARKS IN 2024
As a team, Utah Tech notched seven top 10 single season marks tying for third in block assists (421) and racked up the fourth-most blocks in a season (244.5).

The Trailblazers also finished in the top 10 in assists per set (6th - 11.85), kills per set (6th - 12.84), hitting percentage (7th - .208), kills (7th - 1,271) & assists (8th - 1,173).

DOUBLE DIGIT WIN SEASONS
For the second time in the Trailblazers' five seasons in Division I, Utah Tech reached double digit wins with 15 victories in 2024.

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

SWEEPS ON SWEEPS
The Trailblazers notched nine sweeps in 2024, their most in a single season since posting 11 in 2018.

LOOK AT THE 2025 SCHEDULE
After opening the season this weekend in Las Vegas, the Trailblazers return home to host the Utah Tech Tournament on Sept. 4-6 before wrapping up non-conference action with the Boise State Invitational on Sept. 11-13 and Into the Blue Invitational hosted by Air Force on Sept. 19-20.

WAC play gets started on the road at Southern Utah on Sept. 25 before their first WAC home contest against California Baptist on Oct. 2.

Seeing all six WAC opponents both home and away, the Trailblazers will play one non-conference match at home against Northern Arizona on Oct. 28 and close out the regular season at home against UT Arlington on Nov. 15.

2025 WAC TOURNAMENT SET FOR ABILENE
Heading into their final season in the WAC, the Trailblazers will play in their second straight WAC Tournament hosted by Abilene Christian on Nov. 20-22 as they look to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

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 host on Sept. 6, won the tournament title. The Trailblazers will also face Big Sky opponents Weber State, Idaho State & Northern Colorado this season.

ON THE ROAD
Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006, Utah Tech has recorded a 101-107 (.486) 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 44-52 (.458) record in neutral-site contests.

2024 RECAP
Utah Tech made its first WAC Tournament appearance in 2024 after finishing fourth in the conference with a 9-7 mark. The Trailblazers went 6-3 at home, 5-1 at neutral site and 4-8 on the road.

Knudsen earned First Team All-WAC honors while middle blocker Lusia Langi was tabbed to the WAC All-Freshman Team.

COACHING STAFF
Camilla Hafoka (Oregon State, 2010; 42-56 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 71-72 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 return home to host the Utah Tech Tournament next weekend facing Weber State, Charleston Southern and Sacramento State on Sept. 4-6.