UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES
(20-13, 9-7 WAC) 

Day: Friday
Date: Nov. 30, 2018
Place: Laramie, Wyo.
Time: 5:30 PM
Facility: Uniwyo Sports Complex
Video: www.womensnivc.com
Stats: www.womensnivc.com

POR vs. UW
Overall Series: 2-1
H: 1-0 •  A: 0-1  •  N: 1-0
Last: POR 2, @ UW 3 (9/20/2014)

UP NEXT 
• The Pilots continue postseason play for the first time in program history, competing in the National Invitation Volleyball Challenge.
• They move into the second round in Laramie, Wyoming, competing against the Utah Valley Wolverines on Friday, November 30th at 5:30 PM. 
• Live video and stats for this weekend's match-ups can be found at www.womensnivc.com.
• The winner of the match will play the victor of Fresno State vs UNLV, the date currently TBA.

LAST MATCH
• The Pilots won their first postseason match in program history, sweeping the Northern Colorado Bears in three sets.
• Their 19th victory of the 2018 campaign is tied for the most in a single season in team history, tying the 1986 Pilots, the first year the program was a Division 1 team.
• Junior Katie Barker led both teams in total blocks (6) and kills (13), hitting .619 on the night. Senior Reghan Pukis aided in the attack, having 10 kills, and junior Cali Thompson led the match in assists with 34.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• First-year head coach Jeff Baxter has led the Pilots to their best start in program history, going a perfect 12-0.
• The 12-match winning streak was the longest in program history.
• Thanks to their 9-0 start, the Pilots received four votes in the NCAA AVCA Coaches' Poll during week four, marking the first time in program history that the UP volleyball team has received votes.
• Following the 12-0 start, VolleyMob placed the Pilots at No. 27 in the country.
• The Pilots win at San Francisco on Nov. 3rd was their 18th of the year, securing their highest win total during a season since 1986, the previous high being 19 during our first season as a D-1 program.
• Within the WCC, the Pilots are No. 2 in team digs (1,609), and No. 3 in team assists (1,367), team kills (1,438), and team service aces (173).
• Junior Katie Barker has had a remarkable 2018 campaign: she's now No. 1 in single season history in block assists (117), and she's on path this season to be No. 2 in hitting percentage with .353 and No. 5 in total block with 124. 
• Barker's impressive season hasn't gone unnoticed: on November 26th, she was nominated to the 2018 WCC Honorable Mention squad for the first time. 
• Sophomore Libero Carey Williams has had an impressive 2018 season as well, ranking No. 1 in the WCC in total digs (478) and second in digs per set (4.27).
• Junior Cali Thompson continues to climb the record books, now ranking fourth all-time in UP program history with 3,556 career assists, passing Megan Staropoli (1984-86, 3,359 assists) in week 12.
• Senior Reghan Pukis is No. 8 all-time at Portland in career kills per set (3.15).
• Junior middle blocker Shayla Hoeft was named the initial WCC Player of the Week of 2018, after she helped lead the Pilots to an undefeated opening weekend and the 2018 Aztec Invitational title.
• Hoeft was named the tournament's MVP after the Pilots clinched all three matches. She led the Pilots in kills (38), kills per set (3.8), hitting percentage amongst starters (.457) and tied for the team lead in blocks (10).
• Head Coach Jeff Baxter is not the only coach on the staff with an impressive resume: assistant coach Betsy Sedlak was chosen as a UC Davis CAA Hall of Fame inductee, thanks to her role as middle blocker for her alma-mater. She amassed 393 total blocks, good for second all-time, and led the Aggies to their only 20-win seasons of the Division I era.    
• The Pilots returned three of the top four leaders in kills from a year ago, led by senior Reghan Pukis who totaled 367 kills as a junior.
• Cali Thompson registered 1,174 assist last year, which ranks No. 5 on Portland's all-time single-season list.
• Baxter, who was an assistant under former head coach Brent Crouch for the past two seasons, took over the program during the off-season after Crouch was hired at USC.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT 
• Utah Valley is coming off a five set thriller, upsetting the University of Wyoming in five sets.
• The Wolverines finished 20-13 (9-7 WAC) on the season, placing fifth in the Western Athletic Conference. 
• They're led by freshman Kazna Tarawhiti and junior Makaila Jarema, who've been had outstanding seasons for the Wolverines: Tarawhiti is No. 8 in the country in total kills with 526, while Jarema is No. 8 in total blocks with 171.