Women's Volleyball | 9/28/2026 2:30:00 PM

MATCH #14
Who | Utah Tech (10-3, 3-0 Big Sky) vs. Northern Colorado (6-7, 2-0 Big Sky)
When | Thursday, Oct. 1 - 6 p.m.
Where | Burns Arena - St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

OPENING SERVE
Utah Tech returns home to take on Southern Utah on Tuesday night for the Teddy Bear Toss to benefit Elks Lodge #1743 & 2025 Big Sky Tournament champion Northern Colorado on Thursday night at Burns Arena.

TRAILBLAZERS PUSH WINNING STREAK TO SIX IN A ROW
The Trailblazers extended their winning streak to six on Saturday with a five-set win at 2025 Big Sky regular season champion Northern Arizona.

Two days earlier, the Trailblazers completed their fifth straight sweep on Thursday night at Portland State to open Big Sky play.

Utah Tech had a pair of six-match winning streaks last season, their longest winning streaks in Division I play, and it is their longest since winning eight in 2018.

CONFERENCE HOME OPENERS
The Trailblazers are 4-2 in conference home openers in the Division I era with wins over UT Rio Grande Valley (2020), Grand Canyon (2021), Abilene Christian (2024) & California Baptist (2025).

Utah Tech went 10-3 in conference home openers from 2007-19.

SWEEPS ON SWEEPS
After notching 13 sweeps last season, tying for the second-most sweeps in a season in the NCAA era, the Trailblazers already have six sweeps this season, including five in a row from Sept. 11 through Sept. 24.

TRAILBLAZERS WINNERS OF 11 STRAIGHT & 15 OF LAST 16 IN BURNS ARENA
The Trailblazers have won 11 straight home matches after winning their first two contests this season and completed their first-ever perfect home record in program history in 2025 finishing 9-0.

UT has won 15 of their last 16 home matches dating back to Oct. 12, 2024 against California Baptist with their lone loss in that stretch coming in the 2024 regular season finale against UT Arlington.

GLANCE AT THE SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
Southern Utah is 1-11 on the season with a sweep at home over Chicago State on Sept. 18.

The Thunderbirds opened Big Sky play last week falling in straight sets at Northern Arizona last Thursday and in four sets at Portland State on Saturday.

SUU went 3-21 last season and finished seventh in the WAC with a 2-10 mark.

The Thunderbirds were picked 11th in the Big Sky preseason poll and currently sit fourth in the Big Sky in service aces per set (1.44).

Junior middle blocker Natalie Moore is eighth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.313) & freshman setter Talea Berry is seventh in aces per set (0.34).

SUU is led by first-year head coach Danielle Jensen who arrived in Cedar City after 10 seasons at Utah State Eastern.

GLANCE AT THE NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS
Northern Colorado is 6-7 on the season with non-conference wins over Wichita State (3-1), Murray State (3-2), Denver (3-0) & Air Force (3-1).

The Bears opened Big Sky play last week at home with a four-set win over Montana and a sweep over Montana State.

The 2025 Big Sky Tournament champion, Northern Colorado went 17-16 overall last season and finished third in the regular season with an 11-5 mark.

The Bears went on to defeat Montana State, Sacramento State & Idaho State in the WAC Tournament before falling in five sets to Creighton in the NCAA Tournament.    

The preseason Big Sky champion, the Bears lead the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.252), are second in kills per set (13.14) & third in assists per set (11.63).

Individually, senior setter Nerea Alvarez Jorge leads the Big Sky in assists (500) & assists per set (9.80) while senior middle blocker Summer Snead is sixth in hitting percentage (.362) & seventh in blocks (50).

Senior defensive specialist Bella LePore is third in digs per set (4.10) & fourth in digs (209).

Head coach Lyndsey Oates is her 22nd season at Northern Colorado, has earned five Big Sky Coach of the Year honors & is 398-257 (.608) in her tenure.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTHERN UTAH & NORTHERN COLORADO        
This will be the 13th meeting between the Trailblazers and Thunderbirds with Utah Tech winning the last four meetings.

The Trailblazers are 4-1 at home against SUU winning their last three meetings at Burns Arena against the Thunderbirds.

It will be the second all-time meeting against Northern Colorado after the Trailblazers topped the Bears in four sets at the Into the Blue Invitational last season.

WHERE THE TRAILBLAZERS RANK IN BIG SKY/NCAA IN 2026
As a team, the Trailblazers lead the Big Sky in assists per set (12.02) & kills per set (13.26), rank second in attacks per set (37.43 - 9th in nation) & digs per set (15.86 - 19th in nation).

The Trailblazers are fourth in hitting percentage (.221) & opponent hitting percentage (.171).

Shaylee Dahle leads the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.419) while Nana Asiata is fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.21).

Tessa Treanor leads the Big Sky in service aces per set (0.55 - 27th in nation) & is second in in service aces (23).

Mya Laufiso is eighth in the Big Sky in digs per set (3.76) and the duo of Lusia Langi (1.24) & Annalyse Shimada (0.96) are third & 10th in blocks per set, respectively.

NEW YEAR, NEW CONFERENCE
On June 25, 2025, Utah Tech announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference beginning on July 1, 2026.

The Big Sky will have 11 members in 2026 as the Trailblazers will be joined by Southern Utah as new conference members this season.

Northern Colorado won the Big Sky tournament in 2025 while Northern Arizona claimed the regular season championship last season with a 13-3 mark.

The Trailblazers will play home and away against eight conference opponents while only hosting Idaho and only traveling to Eastern Washington.

TRAILBLAZERS PICKED SEVENTH IN BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL
The Trailblazers were selected seventh in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Aug. 19 racking up 57 points and one first-place vote.

With the Trailblazers one of four teams to earn at least one first-place vote, Northern Colorado, the 2025 Big Sky tournament champion, was picked as the conference favorite earning 88 points.

Northern Arizona, who won the Big Sky regular season championship a season ago, was tabbed second with 85 points followed by a tie between Idaho State and Montana for third with 72 points apiece.

Weber State (69 pts.) and Montana State (61 pts.) followed in fifth and sixth, respectively, with the Trailblazers in seventh with 57 points. Portland State (43 pts.), Idaho (25 pts.), Eastern Washington (18 pts.) and Southern Utah (15 pts.) rounded out the poll.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers stay at home next week taking on Weber State (8-4, 1-1 Big Sky) on Oct. 8 and Idaho State (10-4, 2-0) on Oct. 10.