WAC VB25 Release Week 1

THE FIRST SERVE OF 2025 IS COMING UP!
The 2025 WAC Volleyball season starts this Friday, Aug. 29 as all seven teams will play three matches this weekend. Abilene Christian and Utah Valley will host their opening weekends while the rest of the league will begin their season on the road.
 
UTAH VALLEY NAMED 2025 WAC VOLLEYBALL FAVORITE
Utah Valley was tabbed the 2025 WAC Volleyball preseason team to beat as voted by the league’s head coaches. The Wolverines received five of the seven first-place votes and 34 points from the coaches’ poll. Last year’s WAC regular season and tournament champions, UT Arlington, placed second in the poll with 29 points and one first-place vote. Utah Tech rounded out the top three notching 25 points and one first-place vote.
 
KNUDSEN SELECTED THE PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Utah Tech senior outside hitter Kennedi Knudsen was named the 2025 WAC Preseason Player of the Year. Knudsen appeared in all 99 sets for the Trailblazers last year and tallied 435.0 points (4.39/set) and 395 kills (3.99/set), both averages ranking fifth in the WAC. Knudsen set a Utah Tech single match record with 34 kills against Utah Valley on Nov. 2 last year, the most kills in a WAC game in 2024. Knudsen earned a spot on the 2024 All-WAC First Team.
 
CHISM CHOSEN FOR PRESEASON SETTER OF THE YEAR
Utah Valley junior setter Evalyn Chism was chosen as the 2025 WAC Preseason Setter of the Year. Chism concluded 2024 with a career-high 1,213 assists (10.02/set), the second-most in the WAC last year. Chism set a career-high 58 assists against Abilene Christian on Nov. 7, becoming the first Wolverine setter to reach 50 assists since 2008. Chism also finished the year with 16 double-doubles, adding 269 digs, 72 blocks and 77 kills to her 2024 resume.
 
GLENN VOTED AS THE PRESEASON LIBERO OF THE YEAR
UT Arlington junior Samantha Glenn was selected as the 2025 Preseason Libero of the Year. Glenn totaled 438 digs (3.84/set) last year and recorded double-digit digs in 28 matches, including a career-high 24 digs against California Baptist on Sept. 28.