The Wolverines improved to 3-0 this season in five-set matches. Miley Thunstrom tied a career high with 17 kills and added three service aces, while Olivia Gloeckner contributed seven kills. Utah Valley also recorded a season-high seven aces, with Hansen and Thunstrom finishing with three apiece.

California Baptist controlled much of the opening set, building a 9-5 lead before Utah Valley trimmed the margin to 11-10. The Lancers, however, used a strong offensive performance from Eleftheria Baxa, who tallied six kills on 12 attacks in the set, to take the early match advantage. Neal added four kills, while Utah Valley’s defense was led by Medaris, who posted four block assists in the frame. Alyvia Watkins added three block assists, and Gloeckner and Brielle Rueckert each finished with two.

Utah Valley’s offense found its rhythm in the second set, hitting .360 as a team. Medaris recorded a kill to tie the score at 9-9, but California Baptist answered with a 4-0 run to take control. The Lancers later extended their lead to 15-10 before the Wolverines responded with a rally fueled by a Gloeckner kill, a block from Bree Carson and Rueckert, and a Thunstrom service ace that cut the deficit to 15-13. Thunstrom recorded six kills in the set, including three during the closing points, but the Lancers held on to claim a 2-0 match lead.

Hansen helped shift the momentum in the third set after entering off the bench. The freshman totaled five kills and three service aces in the set, establishing a new career high in aces. With the score tied 8-8, Hansen delivered consecutive aces to give Utah Valley a lead it would not relinquish. The Wolverines used a 9-1 run to move ahead 15-9, while Thunstrom added four kills, including the final two points of the set.

Utah Valley carried that momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead behind a 5-0 run. The Wolverines capitalized on six consecutive California Baptist errors to extend the advantage to 16-10. Fifth-year middle blocker Maranda Woolf played a key role in the set, recording two kills and two block assists. Watkins added the next two points as Utah Valley closed out the set to force a decisive fifth frame.

The Wolverines dominated the final set, hitting .462 with just one attack error. After California Baptist took a 5-4 lead, Utah Valley responded with an 11-1 run to close the match. Kenna McClure served during the first eight points of the surge, including a service ace that helped spark the rally. Following a pair of service errors, Medaris and Thunstrom combined for the final kills that secured the victory and completed the reverse sweep.

Utah Valley remains home next week for its second weekend of Big West play. The Wolverines will host UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. MT before welcoming NCAA Sweet 16 participant Cal Poly on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. MT.

Soccer earns draw with UC San Diego

Sadie Beardall and Nixan Jackson each found the back of the net as Utah Valley battled UC San Diego to a 2-2 draw in Big West action Saturday night at Triton Soccer Stadium.

Utah Valley moves to 5-4-2 overall and 1-0-1 in Big West play, while UC San Diego is now 5-2-3 overall and 1-0-1 in league play.

The Wolverines controlled much of the match, outshooting the Tritons 31-13 overall and holding an 18-8 advantage in shots on goal.

“It’s a tough one,” Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay said. “We certainly felt like we did enough to get three points. There were critical moments that we could have done better, and had we been more efficient in a couple of moments on both sides, defensively and offensively, we think the final score could have been different.”

Jackson led Utah Valley with eight shots, including four on frame. Addie Olson added five shots with two on goal, while Kate Booth recorded four shots, all of which were on target. Madeleine Boucher played all 90 minutes in goal for the Wolverines and finished with six saves.

Utah Valley generated 11 shots, including eight on goal, through the first 29 minutes before breaking through for the opening score.

Bailey Peterson sent a ball into the box from the left side, where Beardall rose above the defense and headed it into the net in the 29th minute to give Utah Valley a 1-0 lead.

UC San Diego pulled even in the 50th minute when Kannadi Borg played a ball through the middle of the UVU defense to Karize Madero, who finished with her left foot from the top of the box to make it 1-1.

The Tritons then moved in front in the 59th minute. Anya Lin delivered a corner kick from the left side, and Kat Harris connected on a header into the left side of the net to give UC San Diego a 2-1 advantage.

“I thought San Diego did a nice job of never putting their heads down,” Lemay said. “They absorbed a lot and continued to push. They stunned us in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and then we settled back in. We felt like we were good enough tonight to earn three, but at the end of the day, minor mistakes in major moments was the issue.”

Utah Valley answered just six minutes later.

Peterson switched the ball across the field to Jackson on the right side. Jackson worked around a Triton defender before angling a shot into the back of the net in the 65th minute to level the match at 2-2.

The Wolverines nearly found the game-winner in the 84th minute when Beardall fired a shot that deflected off the UC San Diego goalkeeper, hit the right post and bounced back into play.

Utah Valley will continue its Big West road swing Wednesday, Sept. 30, when the Wolverines travel to Irvine, California, to take on UC Irvine. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.