UVU/BYU Roundup: Wolverines top Aggies in fifth-set thriller
Courtesy UVU Athletics
Utah Valley women's volleyball players celebrate a point in a match during the 2024 season.LOGAN, Utah – Utah Valley University defeated Utah State University 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 18-25, 25-19, 17-15) on Thursday night at the Dee Glen Spectrum.
UVU (9-2) got a career-high 21 kills from Avery Shewell, who fueled a comeback over USU (2-8) for their first win since over the Aggies since 2021.
“I’m very proud of this team tonight,” UVU coach Sam Atoa said. “We went in and played in a fun atmosphere tonight that was tough. We fought through some adversity and fell behind, but this team once again showed their resilience, and we did what was needed to get the victory. I was so happy to see Bella (Wooden) play well against her former team; it isn’t easy playing against former teammates and coaches. This match is one that will help us as we go throughout the season.”
The Aggies were coming off a five-set loss to BYU last night, but this time, they were at home. UVU broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth set with a kill from Shewell before Woolf and Eliza Hakes teamed up with a block assist. The Wolverines led 9-6 before USU rallied and later took a 15-14 lead, then Shewell landed her 21st kill to tie the match at 15. UVU jumped in front after an Aggie error made it match point, and the match went in UVU’s favor after a successful challenge.
Sami Blackett finished with 14 kills and ten digs for her first career double-double of the year. She added six total blocks in the match. Bella Wooden added ten kills, four digs, and six total blocks.
Utah Valley will close out non-conference play on Saturday with a 6:00 p.m. MT in Provo against No. 19 BYU. They will hit the road for the WAC opener on Sept. 26 at California Baptist at 6:30 p.m. MT.
UVU women’s soccer routs Weber State
Nixan Jackson’s first-half brace powered Utah Valley to a commanding 5-0 shutout victory over in-state rival Weber State, while the Wolverine defense secured a clean sheet in front of a sold-out crowd at Clyde Field on Thursday night.
The Wolverines have now won three of their last four matches and improve to 5-4-1 overall. Weber State falls to 1-7-3 with the loss.
“I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to stack two wins and two shutouts back-to-back,” said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. “What stood out tonight was the fact that we had multiple goal scorers. We’ve relied heavily on Faith (Webber), and she’s going to keep scoring, but it’s great to see others stepping up and finding the back of the net. We’ve been focusing on getting dangerous service into the box, and tonight, we had committed runs that made a difference. Our attacking mentality in the final third really showed with 21 shots and 12 on goal, and that’s what we’ll look to carry forward.”
In the 15th minute, a scramble inside the box led to the ball being deflected around after a header. Utah Valley’s Haley Funn took a shot that ricocheted off a Weber State defender and began trickling toward the goal line. Jackson reacted quickly, stepping in to tap the ball across the line and put the Wolverines ahead 1-0.
Just four minutes later, in the 19th minute, Ruby Hladek made a strong run down the right side, dribbling into the box before a Weber State defender deflected her attempt. The ball fell to Faith Webber, who calmly collected it and sent a well-placed cross into the path of Jackson. Jackson poked the ball into the net, completing her brace and extending UVU’s lead to 2-0.
Sadie Beardall capitalized on a defensive miscue in the 37th minute, intercepting a pass from a Weber State defender and immediately pushing forward. Driving towards the edge of the box, Beardall delivered a perfectly timed cross from just inside the area to a streaking Quincy Bonds. Bonds met the ball in stride and fired a shot past the goalkeeper, extending Utah Valley’s lead to 3-0 as they headed into halftime.
In the 62nd minute, Greta Davis made a blazing run down the left flank, driving the ball all the way to the end line. She then whipped in a left-footed cross that found its target at the top of the six-yard box. Mia Owens was perfectly positioned and, with her left foot, slotted the ball into the net, pushing UVU’s lead to 4-0.
Davis was at it again in the 75th minute, sending another pinpoint cross from the left side, this time delivering the ball just inside the six-yard box. Ashley Garcia met the cross with a clean strike, burying it in the back of the net to increase Utah Valley’s lead to 5-0.
Utah Valley outshot Weber State 21-6, including a 12-3 advantage in shots on goal. In goal, CJ Graham played the first 55 minutes, making two saves, while Leah Wolf came in for the final 35 minutes and recorded one save to help preserve the shutout.
Utah Valley now hits the road for four consecutive matches, beginning with a trip to California to face San Diego State on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT.
Mariott Madness, BYU men’s hoops scheduled
BYU men’s basketball has announced details for Marriott Madness and Blue & White game set to take place in early October.
Marriott Madness will be held on Thursday, Oct. 3, with the men’s and women’s team participating. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for students. The general public is invited to attend as well with public doors opening at 6 p.m. The event begins at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.
Cougar Nation will get its first look of first-year head coach Kevin Young and his team at the Blue & White Game which returns to the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. Admission is free for all fans and the game will air on both ESPN+ and BYUtv.
TCU drills BYU women’s soccer 4-1
FORT WORTH, Texas – BYU fell to Big 12 opponent TCU 4-1, giving up two penalty kicks on Thursday evening at the Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
Allie Fryer scored her third goal of the season, 22nd of her career in the setback TCU.
The Horned Frogs outshot the Cougars 16-3 and had seven corner kicks to BYU’s two. The match was aggressive with 26 total fouls and two yellow cards assessed to the Cougars. The match marked the second time this season that the opponent scored four unanswered goals.
In the 19th minute, Freeman took the ball away from a TCU defender and drove up the right side of the field. She passed the ball to Fryer at the top of the 18-yard box, who turned with the ball and shot it into the right upper 90 of the goal, putting the Cougars up 1-0.
With a corner kick in the 32nd minute, a TCU forward was fouled in the box and received a penalty kick, converted by Seven Castain for the equalizer.
In the final 10 minutes of the first half, the Horned Frogs put more pressure on the BYU defense, capitalizing on a cross with a header finding the back of the net in the 43rd minute to put them up 2-1 heading into halftime.In the 49th minute, the Horned Frogs earned and converted their second penalty kick of the night to extend their lead, 3-1.
TCU kept the pressure, earning a corner kick in the 56th minute, finding the head of Morgan Brown for another goal, giving the Horned Frogs a three-goal lead.
BYU freshman Presley Freeman tallied her first collegiate assist on BYU’s lone goal of the match. Mia Curry, Savannah Hansen and goalkeeper Kelsey Hoopes played their first collegiate minutes in tonight’s matchup with the Horned Frogs.
The Cougars return to South Field on Monday, Sept. 23 for a rivalry game against Utah at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.
UCSB ends UVU men’s soccer unbeaten streak
Utah Valley dropped its first game of the season on Thursday, falling to the No. 22 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 4-1 at Clyde Field. The loss ends a school-record 15-game unbeaten streak at Clyde Field that dated back to the first game of the 2022 season. In that time, the Wolverines went 10-0-5.
The Gauchos scored two goals in quick succession to take a 2-0 advantage inside of 11 minutes. Nemo Philipp scored in the fifth minute and Alexis Ledoux scored in the 11th. Utah Valley had a chance to halve the lead in the 50th minute on a penalty kick, but Omar Yehva missed the mark.
UCSB scored less than five minutes later in the 55th to make it 3-0, then added a fourth in the 64th. Noah Pogue scored in the 84th minute off a set piece to get Utah Valley on the board and net his first collegiate goal. Nik Kizerian had the assist.
Utah Valley closes out non-conference play next Wednesday against the Oregon State Beavers. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
