Women's Volleyball | 9/10/2025 12:30:00 PM

BOISE STATE INVITATIONAL
Who | Utah Tech (5-1) vs. Boise State (4-2) | vs. Idaho State (2-4) | vs. San Francisco (1-3)
When | Thursday, Sept. 11 – 6 p.m. | Friday, Sept. 12 – 3:30 p.m. | Saturday, Sept. 13 - 10 a.m.
Where | Bronco Gym - Boise, Idaho
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

OPENING SERVE
The Trailblazers head back on the road this week traveling to the Boise State Invitational where they will face Boise State, Idaho State and San Francisco. 

LOOK BACK AT THE UTAH TECH TOURNAMENT 
Utah Tech is coming off a perfect 3-0 showing at the Utah Tech Tournament sweeping both Weber State & Charleston Southern before going to five sets for a second time this season on Saturday closing out the tournament with a comeback win over Sacramento State.

Senior outside hitter Kennedi Knudsen earned MVP honors while junior libero Mya Laufiso and senior middle blocker Casidy Fried were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

The Trailblazers hit a season-best .323 as a team against the Wildcats while posting season highs in kills (59) & digs (67) versus Sacramento State.

RUN IT BACK!
For a second straight week, Knudsen earned WAC Player of the Week honors for her performance at the Utah Tech Tournament.

After starting the week with a nine-kill & five-block performance in a sweep over Weber State, Knudsen posted a pair of double-doubles in a sweep over Charleston Southern and a five-set battle over Sacramento State.

Notching 16 kills and 16 digs in a sweep over the Buccaneers, Knudsen hit .293 in the match and came out firing in the tournament finale against the Hornets registering the third-most kills in a single match in the program's NCAA era history with 29.

She also tallied 77 attacks, tied for second-most in a single match, and added 10 digs. Her 29 kills were the most by a player in the WAC this season and tied for sixth-most nationally in a five-set match this season.

GLANCE AT THE BOISE STATE WILDCATS
Boise State heads into this weekend's Boise State Invitational with a 4-2 record winning its first four contests of the season with sweeps over Montana & UC San Diego and five-set wins against Navy & Utah Valley.

The Broncos were home last weekend for the Boise State Classic where they defeated the Tritons, fell in five sets to Arizona and were swept by Oregon State.

Coming off a 19-10 record in 2024 and a sixth-place finish in the Mountain West, the Broncos were picked fifth in the MW preseason poll and senior libero Bre Mitchell was named to the MW Preseason Team.

The Broncos lead the MW in blocks per set (2.88), digs per set (15.88) and attacks per set (36.83) while Mitchell tops the MW in digs per set (4.50) & digs (108). Redshirt freshman middle blocker Eliza Sharp is second in the MW in blocks (36), blocks per set (1.50) & hitting percentage (.410).

GLANCE AT THE IDAHO STATE BENGALS
Idaho State comes into the Boise State Invitational with a 2-4 mark with wins over Texas Southern (3-1) and Memphis (3-0) last weekend at the Denver Invitational.

The Bengals, who went 21-10 last season tied for second in the Big Sky regular season, advanced to the NIVC Tournament falling to Wyoming in the opening round.

Idaho State, who was picked in a tie for third in the Big Sky preseason poll with Sacramento State, leads the conference in blocks per set (2.88) & is second in opponent hitting percentage (.152).

Senior middle blocker Marci Bell tops the Big Sky in blocks (38) & blocks per set (1.52) while junior middle blocker Jaydin Watts ranks first in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.433).

GLANCE AT THE SAN FRANCISCO DONS    
San Francisco is off to a 1-3 start to the season with a five-set win over Portland State at home in The Battle By The Bay.

The Dons, who have been swept by San Diego State, Cal and Long Beach State, went 17-13 last season finishing fifth in the WCC with a 10-8 record.

USF, who was picked eighth in the 12-team WCC preseason poll, are second in the league in blocks per set (2.57) and fourth in digs per set (14.21).

Junior middle blocker Hokulani Perez sits atop the WCC in blocks per set (1.42) while senior libero Abby Wadas leads the conference in digs per set (5.07).

WHERE UTAH TECH RANKS IN THE WAC IN 2025
As a team, the Trailblazers lead the WAC in assists per set (11.77), hitting percentage (.243), kills per set (13.23) & attacks per set (35.18) while ranking second in blocks per set (2.57).

Individually, Knudsen leads the WAC in kills per set (4.27), attacks per set (11.77), points per set (4.73) and second in kills (94).

Fried is second in blocks (27) & Taylor Snow also ranks second in hitting percentage (.364).

RECORD WATCH
Knudsen enters this weekend's action only 43 kills shy of passing Alex Shearer (850, 2008-11) for the most career kills in the NCAA era.

With 808 career kills in 59 matches as a Trailblazer, Knudsen has averaged 3.61 kills per set and will also pass Brita Jensen (824, 2009-12) and Megan Treanor (833, 2018-21) on her way to the record.

HITTING 1K
Junior setter Marley Roe is 54 assists shy of becoming the eight Trailblazer in the NCAA era to hit 1,000 career assists entering the weekend with 946 assists in 56 matches at Utah Tech.

GREAT START
Off to only its fourth start to a season with a 5-1 mark or better, the Trailblazers also got off to hot starts in 2009, 2018 & 2024.

With three wins this weekend in Boise, it will be first time in program history, the Trailblazers will be 8-1 after nine matches as its best nine-match start came in 2018 at 7-2.

ON THE ROAD
Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006, Utah Tech has recorded a 102-107 (.488) 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)

Additionally, the Trailblazers have posted a 45-53 (.459) record in neutral-site contests.

ALL-TIME IN HOME & SEASON OPENERS
Over its 20 years of the NCAA era, Utah Tech is 13-7 all-time in home openers (4-2 in DI era) after sweeping Weber State at Burns Arena on Sept. 4.

The Trailblazers improved to 9-11 in the NCAA era in season openers with its win over CSUB and 4-2 in the Division I era.

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.

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.

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.

COACHING STAFF
Camilla Hafoka (Oregon State, 2010; 47-57 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.

2024 RECAP
Utah Tech made its first WAC Tournament appearance in 2024 after finishing fourth in the conference with a 9-7 mark and 15-12 overall. 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.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers close out early season tournament action next weekend at the Into The Blue Invitational hosted by Air Force taking on Northern Colorado, Denver and the host Falcons on Sept. 19-20.