EDINBURG, Texas – The UT Arlington volleyball team (17-9, 9-5 WAC) begins its 2022 Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a stern test on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. against Utah Valley (16-10, 10-4 WAC) from the UTRGV Fieldhouse. The Mavericks secured the #5 seed while the Wolverines – the two-time defending WAC Tournament Champions – are the #4 seed.
The winner will advance to face either #8 seed Southern Utah or top seed and pre-determined host UTRGV in the semifinals on Friday night at 7. The tournament final and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be handed out on Saturday evening with the match beginning at 7.
In the only regular-season meeting – which actually was the first all-time contest between UTA and UVU – the Wolverines picked up a 3-1 win in Orem on Oct. 13. Three of the sets were decided by just two points: 25-16, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23.
| WAC TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL |
| Match 27 |
#5 UT Arlington (17-9, 9-5 WAC) vs. #4 Utah Valley (16-10, 10-4 WAC) |
| Date | Time |
Thursday, Nov. 17 | 4 PM |
| Location |
UTRGV Fieldhouse | Edinburg, Texas |
| Live Stats |
SIDEARM |
| Streaming |
ESPN+ |
| Tickets |
UTRGV |
| Bracket |
View |
POSTSEASON HONOREES
Brianna Ford and
Sophie Skinner both earned placement on the WAC postseason volleyball awards list, as voted on by the league's 13 head coaches and released Tuesday. Ford garnered a spot on the WAC First Team, while Skinner landed on the WAC All-Freshman Team.
Ford Info
An Amarillo native, outside hitter Ford established career bests across the board this year: kills per set (3.42), hitting percentage (.244), digs per set (2.70), assists per set (0.26), blocks per set (0.84) and points per set (4.16).
Ford notched 13 of her team-best 26 career double-doubles this season, and those performances propelled the sophomore into the top 3 in the WAC in total points (2nd, 415.5), points per set (2nd, 4.16), total kills (2nd, 342), kills per set (2nd, 3.42) and total attacks (3rd, 885).
Overall, Ford had 19 matches with 10+ kills, 15 with 10+ digs and she produced 10+ kills in 10 of her final 11 matches. In addition to being named WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12, Ford also earned a spot on the UTA Classic All-Tournament Team and was the MVP of both the UTSA Invitational and the UTA Invitational.
Skinner Info
Skinner, meanwhile, recorded 40+ assists five different times during year, and after being inserted into the starting lineup on Sept. 3 against Providence, the Hot Springs, Ark., native recorded at least 26 assists in all but nine matches and at least 30 in 11 of 22. She has registered 677 assists, 151 digs, 28 kills and 20 aces this year.
Entering the WAC Tournament, Skinner's assist total currently places her 7th in program single-season history by a freshman, behind teammate
Jessica Stancliff in 2019. She is one of just nine freshmen in program history with at least 500 assists in their first season.
Skinner leads all WAC freshmen in assists per set this year at 6.77 – an average which ranks 6th overall in the league. She earned WAC Freshman of the Week honors on Sept. 12, and also was selected to the UTSA Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Prior to UTA, Skinner competed in the Under Armour All-America Game this past December, which recognizes the most skilled high school players in the country. She was named MVP among the 24 players selected to participate.
BLANK GETS DEFENSIVE
Mollie Blank won the WAC's final Defensive Player of the Week award for the 2022 season on Monday as she claimed the honor for the first time after her performances against Utah Tech and Southern Utah last weekend.
In 10 total sets – two five-set thrillers which the Mavs split – Blank had 50 assists, 39 digs and nine kills. The Mansfield, Texas, native registered a pair of double-doubles, including 29 assists and a career-high 27 digs, to go along with three kills last Thursday against Utah Tech. The sophomore followed up with 21 assists, 12 digs and six kills versus Southern Utah on Saturday in a 3-2 UTA victory. She hit .500 over her nine combined kills in both matches as well.
Blank now gives UTA six total WAC Player of the Week award selections this year from five different players:
Mollie Blank: Nov. 14 (Defensive)
Kortney Puckett: Oct. 17 (Defensive), Nov. 7 (Defensive)
Jalie Tritt: Sept. 19 (Freshman)
Brianna Ford: Sept. 12 (Offensive)
Sophie Skinner: Sept. 12 (Freshman)
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
UTA ranks in the top 100 in the nation in several categories: total blocks (40th, 254), blocks per set (53rd, 2.42), win-loss percentage (83rd, .654), total digs (97th, 1,580) and opponent hitting percentage (97th, .188). Among WAC foes, the Mavs rank 2nd in blocks per set and total blocks.
ROAD-COURT ADVANTAGE
In WAC play, the Mavs went an impressive 5-2 away from home.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTA is 6-2 in five-set matches this year despite their five-set loss to Utah Tech last Thursday, which snapped a five-match win streak in such outings. Among those victories, the Mavs dropped the opening set against Providence, trailed UTSA 2-0, came back against Lamar after being down 2-1 and held off Abilene Christian after losing a two-set lead.
EIGHT IS GREAT
Alli Wells is currently ranked 8th on the program's all-time digs list with 1,620, and very realistically should move up two spots during the match with UVU as the junior resides just seven digs away from claiming sole possession of 6th place.
| UTA CAREER DIGS |
| 1. |
Alicia Shaffer |
2,033 |
2008-11 |
| 2. |
Ashley Smith |
1,921 |
2003-06 |
| 3. |
Amber Pack |
1,887 |
1999-02 |
| 4. |
Caitlyn Cooney |
1,820 |
2012-15 |
| 5. |
Jessica Bowlin |
1,728 |
1995-98 |
| 6. |
Qiana Canete |
1,626 |
2014-17 |
| 7. |
Judith McGill |
1,623 |
1983-86 |
| 8. |
Alli Wells |
1,620 |
2019-present |
| 9. |
Torie Dacus |
1,564 |
2004-07 |
| 10. |
Ana de Oliveira |
1,550 |
1985-88 |
Despite having her 26-match streak of consecutive double-digit digs snapped against New Orleans on Sept. 16, Wells enters the WAC Tournament ranked 37th in total career digs among all active NCAA Division I players. This year alone, Wells ranks 3rd in the WAC in total digs (446) and 4th in digs per set (4.25).
KILLIN' IT
Fifth-year senior
Brooke Townsend – who joined the program's 1,000-kill club last year – slammed home a season-best 17 kills against New Mexico State (Oct. 27) to move into 10th place on the program's all-time list. The Bastrop, Texas, native has 11 matches with at least 10 kills this year, and her 1,296 career total ranks 55th among all active Division-I players. She is 63rd in career sets played with 482.
| UTA CAREER KILLS |
| 1. |
Heather Hoy |
1,787 |
1994-97 |
| 2. |
Ana de Oliveira |
1,729 |
1985-88 |
| 3. |
Amber Pack |
1,578 |
1999-2002 |
| 4. |
Qiana Canete |
1,505 |
2014-17 |
| 5. |
Valeria Whitfield |
1,490 |
1990-92 |
| 6. |
Caley Smith |
1,416 |
2001-04 |
| 7. |
Judith McGill |
1,407 |
1983-86 |
| 8. |
Trisha Walker |
1,344 |
1997-2000 |
| 9. |
Chris Rudiger |
1,330 |
1986-89 |
| 10. |
Brooke Townsend |
1,296 |
2018-Pres. |
BLANK REACHES MILESTONE
Third-year setter
Mollie Blank has reached double-digit assists in nine-straight matches and is averaging 20 per contest over that stretch. Prior to this current run – which began with a 17-assist outing at Utah Valley – she only had three double-digit assist performances over the first 15 matches of the year.
She has also recorded three-consecutive double-doubles, including a 29-assist, 27-dig performance last Thursday against Utah Tech which pushed her career total to 21. Blank notched her 1,000th career assist against North Dakota on Aug. 27 and has increased her current total to 1,266.
SOLID PRESENCE
Alyssa Duran, a third-year defensive specialist, has registered five double-figure dig performances this year, highlighted by a season-best 16 last Thursday. She has produced five matches with double digits this year overall and has totaled at least five digs in seven of the past eight matches.
CENTURY WOMEN
Last month, the duo of
Kortney Puckett and
Briana Brown each surpassed 100 career blocks, joining
Brianna Ford,
Meredith Fisher,
Brooke Townsend and
Devon Martinka among the group of current Mavs to reach the milestone. Ford and Fisher reached it earlier this year while Townsend (2020) and Martinka (2021) got there in previous seasons.
STREAKING INTO THE RECORD BOOK
UTA had a nine-match winning streak snapped against California Baptist on Oct. 6. It represented the program's longest streak over the past 20 years behind the 2002 squad's 17-match surge. Overall, the streak tied the 1985 and 1987 teams for the 15th-longest all-time, which dates back to 1973.
AWARD-WINNING SUCCESS AT HOME
The Mavs tallied a 5-2 record at home in non-conference play behind strong individual performances in the UTA Classic (Sept. 3-4) and UTA Invitational (Sept. 16-17).
Brianna Ford, who produced three double-doubles over the six matches combined, was named the UTA Invitational MVP and made the all-tournament team in the UTA Classic.
Jalie Tritt made the All-Tournament Team in both events.
Brooke Townsend also made the UTA Invitational All-Tournament team.
BACK-TO-BACK
UTA produced back-to-back conference Freshman of the Week awards for just the second time in program history – regardless of league membership – behind the play of
Jalie Tritt (Sept. 19) and
Sophie Skinner (Sept. 12). Tritt helped the Mavs capture the UTA Invitational championship that week by averaging 2.5 kills, 1.9 digs and 0.7 blocks per set, while Skinner averaged 9.1 assists and 2.2 digs per set in the UTSA Invitational.
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