Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Iowa State on September 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM
7:00 PM
Volleyball
vs Iowa State
Friday, September 7
Villanova, PA
5:00 PM
University of Utah
at
Villanova
No. 21 Utes Fly East to Play in Villanova Volleyball Invitational
9/4/2018 3:02 PM | Volleyball
Utah on a Four-Game Win Streak
Villanova Volleyball Invitational
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Match 7: #21 Utah (5-1) at Villanova (5-1)
Friday, Sept. 7 | 5 p.m. MT
Villanova, Pa. | Jake Nevin Field House
Stream: Nova Nation All-Access
Live Stats
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Match 8: #21 Utah (5-1) vs. Temple (1-5)
Saturday, Sept. 8 | 9 a.m. MT
Villanova, Pa. | Jake Nevin Field House
Stream: Nova Nation All-Access
Live Stats
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Match 9: #21 Utah (5-1) vs. High Point (1-5)
Saturday, Sept. 8 | 5 p.m. MT
Villanova, Pa. | Jake Nevin Field House
Stream: Nova Nation All-Access
Live Stats
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FIRST SERVE
Utah will fly east for the Villanova Volleyball Invitational for their final non-conference tournament of 2018. They will play the host team Villanova on Friday, September 7 at 5 p.m. and then Temple and High Point on Saturday, September 8.
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SERIES HISTORY
It will be the first time the Utes take on Villanova or High Point.
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Utah has gone 2-0 against Temple. The last meeting was a 3-0 defeat back in 2006.
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COVERING THE UTES
All of the matches will be streamed by Villanova and fans can also follow along with live stats.
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GRACE'S STRONG START
Redshirt freshman Phoebe Grace has had a great start to the season through the first six games. The middle blocker has totaled a team-leading 38 blocks.
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She is second in the Pac-12 and seventh in the NCAA averaging 1.73 blocks per set.Â
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Against Montana, Grace set a career high with 11.0 blocks in the three-set match. That is the second most blocks this season in a three-set match in the NCAA and tied for the most blocks in any Pac-12 match so far this season.
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Along with her defense, Grace is third on the team in kills with 47 and second in the Pac-12 and eighth in the nation hitting .500. She has only had four errors on 86 attack attempts so far this season.
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LG LEADING THE WAY
Senior Lauga Gauta leads the way with 84 kills hitting .310 through the first six matches of the season. She's averaging 4.0 kills per set, which is fifth in the Pac-12.
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The outside hitter has had double-digit kills in five of the six matches and led the team in kills in two of the three matches this past weekend. Against Gonzaga, Gauta hit .379 on 29 attempts and against Iowa State she hit .393 on 29 attacks.
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CLOSING OUT SETS
This past weekend, Utah won the Montana Volleyball Invitational by going 3-0 and sweeping Montana, Gonzaga and Iowa State.
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The last time the Utes swept their way through a non-conference tournament was during the 2014 Utah Classic when the Utes opened the season by defeating Montana State, Missouri State and New Mexico State in nine sets.
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In 2014, the Utes didn't lose a set until their ninth match of the season when they defeated Lipscomb 3-1.
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SHUTTING THE DOOR
A big part of the three sweeps this past weekend is because the Utes elevated their game once they hit the 20-point mark in each set.
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For the weekend, out of the nine sets they won, they only lost one point after hitting the 20-point mark in five of those sets.
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Against Gonzaga, the Utes didn't reach the 20-point mark until the Zags had set point and Utah closed the set on a 7-1 run to clinch the three-set sweep. They spoiled five set points from the Bulldogs. Those were the only set points they faced all weekend.
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STRONG START FOR THE UTES
Utah is off to another great start with a 5-1 record. They have had at least a 5-1 record in six of the past seven seasons.
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This season, they went 2-1 in the opening weekend and followed that up by going 3-0 at the Montana Volleyball Invitational.
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TOP-25 POLL TALK
Utah jumped one spot in the AVCA rankings to No. 21 after sweeping all three of its opponents at the Montana Volleyball Invitational.
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The Pac-12 currently leads the country with eight teams in the top 25 and two more are receiving votes. That puts 10 out of the 12 teams in the conference at minimum getting votes for the AVCA Top 25.
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In all, the Utes have been in the rankings 27 straight polls dating back to October 10, 2016.
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A LOOK AHEAD
After the Utes play in their final non-conference tournament, they will take on two in-state foes in BYU and Utah Valley.
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Beginning Thursday, September 13, Utah will travel to Provo, Utah to take on BYU and then will return home to host Utah Valley on Friday, September 14.
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Match 7: #21 Utah (5-1) at Villanova (5-1)
Friday, Sept. 7 | 5 p.m. MT
Villanova, Pa. | Jake Nevin Field House
Stream: Nova Nation All-Access
Live Stats
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Match 8: #21 Utah (5-1) vs. Temple (1-5)
Saturday, Sept. 8 | 9 a.m. MT
Villanova, Pa. | Jake Nevin Field House
Stream: Nova Nation All-Access
Live Stats
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Match 9: #21 Utah (5-1) vs. High Point (1-5)
Saturday, Sept. 8 | 5 p.m. MT
Villanova, Pa. | Jake Nevin Field House
Stream: Nova Nation All-Access
Live Stats
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FIRST SERVE
Utah will fly east for the Villanova Volleyball Invitational for their final non-conference tournament of 2018. They will play the host team Villanova on Friday, September 7 at 5 p.m. and then Temple and High Point on Saturday, September 8.
Â
SERIES HISTORY
It will be the first time the Utes take on Villanova or High Point.
Â
Utah has gone 2-0 against Temple. The last meeting was a 3-0 defeat back in 2006.
Â
COVERING THE UTES
All of the matches will be streamed by Villanova and fans can also follow along with live stats.
Â
GRACE'S STRONG START
Redshirt freshman Phoebe Grace has had a great start to the season through the first six games. The middle blocker has totaled a team-leading 38 blocks.
Â
She is second in the Pac-12 and seventh in the NCAA averaging 1.73 blocks per set.Â
Â
Against Montana, Grace set a career high with 11.0 blocks in the three-set match. That is the second most blocks this season in a three-set match in the NCAA and tied for the most blocks in any Pac-12 match so far this season.
Â
Along with her defense, Grace is third on the team in kills with 47 and second in the Pac-12 and eighth in the nation hitting .500. She has only had four errors on 86 attack attempts so far this season.
Â
LG LEADING THE WAY
Senior Lauga Gauta leads the way with 84 kills hitting .310 through the first six matches of the season. She's averaging 4.0 kills per set, which is fifth in the Pac-12.
Â
The outside hitter has had double-digit kills in five of the six matches and led the team in kills in two of the three matches this past weekend. Against Gonzaga, Gauta hit .379 on 29 attempts and against Iowa State she hit .393 on 29 attacks.
Â
CLOSING OUT SETS
This past weekend, Utah won the Montana Volleyball Invitational by going 3-0 and sweeping Montana, Gonzaga and Iowa State.
Â
The last time the Utes swept their way through a non-conference tournament was during the 2014 Utah Classic when the Utes opened the season by defeating Montana State, Missouri State and New Mexico State in nine sets.
Â
In 2014, the Utes didn't lose a set until their ninth match of the season when they defeated Lipscomb 3-1.
Â
SHUTTING THE DOOR
A big part of the three sweeps this past weekend is because the Utes elevated their game once they hit the 20-point mark in each set.
Â
For the weekend, out of the nine sets they won, they only lost one point after hitting the 20-point mark in five of those sets.
Â
Against Gonzaga, the Utes didn't reach the 20-point mark until the Zags had set point and Utah closed the set on a 7-1 run to clinch the three-set sweep. They spoiled five set points from the Bulldogs. Those were the only set points they faced all weekend.
Â
STRONG START FOR THE UTES
Utah is off to another great start with a 5-1 record. They have had at least a 5-1 record in six of the past seven seasons.
Â
This season, they went 2-1 in the opening weekend and followed that up by going 3-0 at the Montana Volleyball Invitational.
Â
TOP-25 POLL TALK
Utah jumped one spot in the AVCA rankings to No. 21 after sweeping all three of its opponents at the Montana Volleyball Invitational.
Â
The Pac-12 currently leads the country with eight teams in the top 25 and two more are receiving votes. That puts 10 out of the 12 teams in the conference at minimum getting votes for the AVCA Top 25.
Â
In all, the Utes have been in the rankings 27 straight polls dating back to October 10, 2016.
Â
A LOOK AHEAD
After the Utes play in their final non-conference tournament, they will take on two in-state foes in BYU and Utah Valley.
Â
Beginning Thursday, September 13, Utah will travel to Provo, Utah to take on BYU and then will return home to host Utah Valley on Friday, September 14.
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Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
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