(Las Vegas - Aug. 29, 2025) - For only the fourth time in the Trailblazers' 20 seasons as NCAA members, Utah Tech completed a sweep to start the season taking down CSU Bakersfield in straight sets at The Rebel Challenge at Cox Pavilion.

Utah Tech (1-0) took sets, 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 over CSU Bakersfield (0-1) as this year's sweep joins season-opening sweeps in 2009 (Findlay), 2016 (Black Hills State) and Spring 2021 (Southern Utah).

Led by WAC Preseason Player of the Year Kennedi Knudsen, the senior was the lone Trailblazer with double digit kills finishing with 11 to go along with six digs.

Setters Marley Roe and freshman Tehanie Waters, who was making her Trailblazer debut, tallied 16 and 13 assists, respectively.

Roe added a career-best four service aces while Mya Laufiso had a team-best eight digs.

How It Happened
Getting off to a slow start, the Roadrunners jumped out to an 11-8 lead and built it to a 15-11 advantage after a service ace.

Coming out of a media timeout, the Trailblazers turned it on offensively ripping off a 10-0 run to take back a 21-15 lead.

That run included four straight service aces by Roe and was finished off by a kill from the junior from Hawaii. A kill by Taylor Snow punctuated a seven-point set win.

An even start to the second set saw a 10-10 tie, but a 9-3 run for the Trailblazers pushed UT ahead 19-13 after a kill by Waters.

A service error and an attack error by the Roadrunners pushed the Trailblazers on the brink of set point leading 24-17, but four straight points for CSUB brought the Roadrunners within three.

An attack error by the Roadrunners ended CSUB's run as the Trailblazers took a 2-0 set lead.

The final set saw the Trailblazers jump out to an 11-5 lead after a kill by Casidy Fried, but CSUB answered back with a 7-2 run to cut UT's lead down to 13-12.

Four straight points for the Trailblazers pushed UT back ahead by five at 17-12.

Five of the final seven points of the set, capped off by a kill from Knudsen, went to UT to complete the sweep.

Numbers to Know

• The Trailblazers improve to 9-11 in season openers and 4-2 as Division I members.
• Utah Tech moves to 2-0 all-time against CSU Bakersfield joining a win in 2023.
• As a team, Utah Tech led the way in hitting percentage (.272-.144), kills (43-32), service aces (8-5) and blocks (5-4).
• 14 Trailblazers saw action with 11 playing in all three sets.
• Five Trailblazers notched five or more kills with Snow (7), Tessa Treanor (6), Fried (6) & Sydney Reese (5) joining Knudsen.

Up Next
The Trailblazers are back in action in Las Vegas on Saturday taking on Iowa at 5 p.m. MT.