Weber State University Athletics
Thursday, September 15
Orem, UT
6:00 PM
Weber State University
6-4,0-0Big Sky
3
at
2
Utah Valley
5-5,0-0WAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Weber St.
26
19
25
25
16
3
Utah Valley
28
25
10
15
14
2
Wildcats Beat Wolverines in Stunning Five-Set Fashion
9/15/2022 9:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
OREM, Utah – Wow.
In one of the best Wildcat volleyball matches in recent memory, Weber State beat Utah Valley in a thrilling five-set reverse sweep (26-28, 19-25, 25-10, 25-15, 16-14) in UVU's Lockhart Arena on Thursday night.
The tone for the match was set in the first frame. The two teams went back and forth, exchanging leads, kills, and errors for the duration of what proved to be a deuce set. The Wildcats were trailing by as much as six points in the opening frame, including a 15-21 deficit late in the set, but they clawed their way back and ended up dropping a well-fought first stanza 26-28.
Although the first set was competitive, the second ended up quite different. It was tight for the first bit of the set and was tied at 10 points each, but UVU took off from there. A four-point run gave the Wolverines the momentum they needed to clinch the second set and take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Something had to change for the 'Cats in the third set or else their four-match winning streak over UVU would be in serious jeopardy.
"I just said 'Hey, we're right there we just have to limit their runs and stay true to who we are defensively," Jeremiah Larsen said as he recalled his team huddle in between the second and third sets. "If we do that we have a shot, so go do that.'"
Apparently his words worked.
The Wildcats pounced in front of the Wolverines with a quick 5-0 lead and UVU was forced to take a timeout. Although the break in action slowed the Weber State momentum, the 'Cats looked like an unstoppable juggernaut in the third hitting a staggering .583% as a team. Every Wildcat on the floor put in major contributions and the 'Cats were firing on all cylinders building a 14-6 lead prior to UVU's final timeout of the set. With WSU leading 16-8, Weber State went on to score on 9 of the set's final 11 points to extend the match to a fourth set.
Not even the break between sets could slow down the red-hot Weber State attack. Kate Standifird and company were picking apart the defense and WSU was able to tally 15 kills while hitting a blistering .444% in the fourth set to pull away from UVU and knot things up at 2-2.
On to Weber State's first fifth set of the season. In front of a raucous crowd of nearly 1,700 people and against the defending WAC champions, Weber State - which had five freshmen see significant playing time in the fifth set – wouldn't be denied.
In a short fifth set, the two teams were tied on ten separate occasions, including at 13-13. A service ace from UVU gave the Wolverines a match point and forced Larsen to use a timeout. Following the break, UVU immediately had a service error, followed by Standifird using some finesse to tip the ball to the back corner of the court for what was, perhaps, the kill of the match. On a Weber State match point, UVU called timeout.
Stepping up to the service line was one of the freshmen that Larsen put on the Lockhart Arena floor for the fifth, Charli Bouquet, whom some in the program call "Dragon". Bouquet's serve hit its target in the backrow and fell to the floor for a service ace to win the match.
Wildcats win.
An unbelievable display of youth, talent, and resilience was on display, and Weber State pulls out the victory to improve to 6-4 on the year.
NOTABLES
-This is Weber State's fifth-consecutive victory over Utah Valley.
-The Wildcats now hold an 11-10 edge in the all-time series over the Wolverines.
-With the victory on Thursday, Weber State now has 16 wins over in-state opponents since 2018 – the most in-state wins of any school in the state of Utah.
-Ashley Gneiting tied her season high with 16 kills.
-Dani Richins, who is the defending Big Sky Conference MVP and a two-time All-American as an outside hitter played libero for the first time in her life on Thursday night. She finished the match with a team-leading 14 digs and three assists.
-Makayla Sorensen tallied a career-high 14 kills against UVU.
-Saane Katoa's impact was felt offensively and defensively, as she finished the night with 10 kills on 15 swings, and eight block assists.
-Standifird dished out a career-high 47 assists and scored another double-double with 12 digs.
QUOTABLES
"We've been harping an identity of composure and resilience for the last week. It was nice to finally put it together. It was a really good team effort. If you look at the box score, we used everybody but one or two kids. It's a good team effort. We couldn't have done it without every last person." – Jeremiah Larsen
"It was kind of crazy, but it was really good and it was fun to compete against someone that's in-state and some good competition. After the past couple of weeks, it's been nice to just play as a team and have each other. It was crazy good on both sides of the net. I think that this shows that we have so much depth and so much support. […] I was running my middles a lot. All of them. Brielle Rueckert, Saane, Baylee Bodily, they were rocking it. My outsides were killing it. Even our passing was so good that I could just do what I wanted. They helped me out with my job and it worked in the end." – Kate Standifird.
UP NEXT
Weber State wraps up non-conference action against the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 17 at 2:00 in Swenson Gym. Students in attendance will get free pizza, and attendees under the age of 12 get 50% off their admission.
All regular season and postseason home and Big Sky Conference matches can be seen on ESPN+.
TICKETS
Season and single match tickets are on sale and can be purchased online or by calling the Weber State ticket office at 801-626-8500.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow Weber State volleyball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening with the Wildcats.
In one of the best Wildcat volleyball matches in recent memory, Weber State beat Utah Valley in a thrilling five-set reverse sweep (26-28, 19-25, 25-10, 25-15, 16-14) in UVU's Lockhart Arena on Thursday night.
The tone for the match was set in the first frame. The two teams went back and forth, exchanging leads, kills, and errors for the duration of what proved to be a deuce set. The Wildcats were trailing by as much as six points in the opening frame, including a 15-21 deficit late in the set, but they clawed their way back and ended up dropping a well-fought first stanza 26-28.
Although the first set was competitive, the second ended up quite different. It was tight for the first bit of the set and was tied at 10 points each, but UVU took off from there. A four-point run gave the Wolverines the momentum they needed to clinch the second set and take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Something had to change for the 'Cats in the third set or else their four-match winning streak over UVU would be in serious jeopardy.
"I just said 'Hey, we're right there we just have to limit their runs and stay true to who we are defensively," Jeremiah Larsen said as he recalled his team huddle in between the second and third sets. "If we do that we have a shot, so go do that.'"
Apparently his words worked.
The Wildcats pounced in front of the Wolverines with a quick 5-0 lead and UVU was forced to take a timeout. Although the break in action slowed the Weber State momentum, the 'Cats looked like an unstoppable juggernaut in the third hitting a staggering .583% as a team. Every Wildcat on the floor put in major contributions and the 'Cats were firing on all cylinders building a 14-6 lead prior to UVU's final timeout of the set. With WSU leading 16-8, Weber State went on to score on 9 of the set's final 11 points to extend the match to a fourth set.
Not even the break between sets could slow down the red-hot Weber State attack. Kate Standifird and company were picking apart the defense and WSU was able to tally 15 kills while hitting a blistering .444% in the fourth set to pull away from UVU and knot things up at 2-2.
On to Weber State's first fifth set of the season. In front of a raucous crowd of nearly 1,700 people and against the defending WAC champions, Weber State - which had five freshmen see significant playing time in the fifth set – wouldn't be denied.
In a short fifth set, the two teams were tied on ten separate occasions, including at 13-13. A service ace from UVU gave the Wolverines a match point and forced Larsen to use a timeout. Following the break, UVU immediately had a service error, followed by Standifird using some finesse to tip the ball to the back corner of the court for what was, perhaps, the kill of the match. On a Weber State match point, UVU called timeout.
Stepping up to the service line was one of the freshmen that Larsen put on the Lockhart Arena floor for the fifth, Charli Bouquet, whom some in the program call "Dragon". Bouquet's serve hit its target in the backrow and fell to the floor for a service ace to win the match.
Wildcats win.
An unbelievable display of youth, talent, and resilience was on display, and Weber State pulls out the victory to improve to 6-4 on the year.
NOTABLES
-This is Weber State's fifth-consecutive victory over Utah Valley.
-The Wildcats now hold an 11-10 edge in the all-time series over the Wolverines.
-With the victory on Thursday, Weber State now has 16 wins over in-state opponents since 2018 – the most in-state wins of any school in the state of Utah.
-Ashley Gneiting tied her season high with 16 kills.
-Dani Richins, who is the defending Big Sky Conference MVP and a two-time All-American as an outside hitter played libero for the first time in her life on Thursday night. She finished the match with a team-leading 14 digs and three assists.
-Makayla Sorensen tallied a career-high 14 kills against UVU.
-Saane Katoa's impact was felt offensively and defensively, as she finished the night with 10 kills on 15 swings, and eight block assists.
-Standifird dished out a career-high 47 assists and scored another double-double with 12 digs.
QUOTABLES
"We've been harping an identity of composure and resilience for the last week. It was nice to finally put it together. It was a really good team effort. If you look at the box score, we used everybody but one or two kids. It's a good team effort. We couldn't have done it without every last person." – Jeremiah Larsen
"It was kind of crazy, but it was really good and it was fun to compete against someone that's in-state and some good competition. After the past couple of weeks, it's been nice to just play as a team and have each other. It was crazy good on both sides of the net. I think that this shows that we have so much depth and so much support. […] I was running my middles a lot. All of them. Brielle Rueckert, Saane, Baylee Bodily, they were rocking it. My outsides were killing it. Even our passing was so good that I could just do what I wanted. They helped me out with my job and it worked in the end." – Kate Standifird.
UP NEXT
Weber State wraps up non-conference action against the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 17 at 2:00 in Swenson Gym. Students in attendance will get free pizza, and attendees under the age of 12 get 50% off their admission.
All regular season and postseason home and Big Sky Conference matches can be seen on ESPN+.
TICKETS
Season and single match tickets are on sale and can be purchased online or by calling the Weber State ticket office at 801-626-8500.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow Weber State volleyball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening with the Wildcats.
Team Stats
Weber
UVU
Kills
62
50
Errors
19
35
Attempts
133
152
Hitting %
.323
.099
Points
79
66
Assists
53
47
Aces
3
7
Blocks
14
9
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
8
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballL/OH
/ Women's VolleyballWeber State vs. Portland State
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Weber State Volleyball In-Depth | Episode 17: Jayda Tupea
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Weber State vs. Idaho State | 10-3-25
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