WBB: Utah Valley Wolverines 2024-25 Team Preview
Consistency is the name of the game for the Wolverines heading into the 2024-25 season.
Wins have been few and far between the last couple of years for Utah Valley’s women’s basketball teams in WAC play but the Wolverines have shown a knack for being able to beat the conference’s powers.
In ‘22-’23 the Wolverines defeated GCU in a double-overtime thriller. Last year Utah Valley was one of two teams to hand defending champion CBU a loss, winning an overtime game at the UCCU Center right after Christmas Break.
However, a tough finish with losses in five of their final six games meant the Wolverines were one of three teams to not make the short trip to Las Vegas for tournament play.
Dan Nielson added a pair of Division 1 transfers, a JC transfer, and three true freshmen to his roster this offseason.
Let’s take a look at the ‘24-’25 edition of Utah Valley women’s basketball.
Head Coach:
Dan Nielson (6th season, 57-81 overall, 37-48 WAC)
Last Season:
10-19 overall, 5-15 WAC (Tied 10th regular season, failed to reach WAC tournament)
Key Losses:
Jenna Dick (Eligibility Completed)
Kaylee Byon (portal-Point Loma Nazarene)
Eleyana Tafisi (Appalachian State)
Key Returners:
Tessa Chaney
Kylee Mabry
Ally Criddle
Tahlia White
Amanda Barcello
Saige Gibb
Halle Nelson
Newcomers:
Danja Stafford-Collins (Santa Clara)
Aspen Caldwell (Idaho)
Gracie Sorenson (Eastern Arizona)
Utah Valley returns four of their top six scorers from a season ago as the Wolverines look to move up the WAC standings.
A year ago, the Wolverines finished with a -5.7 scoring margin and were -5.4 in rebounding margin, two areas that will need to be addressed if they are to make a run in the WAC tournament.
Kylee Mabry had a couple of three-game streaks in which she scored in double-figures and then finished on a good note, with two of her final three games in double digit scoring.
Tahlia White showed flashes of what she could do throughout the year, including a 23-point performance against GCU, then finished with four of her last six games in double-figure scoring.
Ally Criddle led the team in minutes played a year ago, starting all but one game, and was second on the team in assists.
Tessa Chaney had a four out of six game stretch in double-digit scoring but then failed to reach that mark in six straight games to finish the season.
“Our big thing with Tessa and the entire team this year has been consistency,” UVU head coach Dan Nielson said. “A big thing with that is our depth and having players to go against in practice that will make them better…which we feel like we have this year.”
Nielson added Aspen Caldwell and Danja Stafford-Collins through the portal.
Caldwell, a true sophomore, spent last season at Idaho where she appeared in all 31 games, shooting just under 37 percent from the field while averaging 11 minutes per game.
Stafford-Collins returns home for her final year of eligibility after appearing in just seven games off the bench at Santa Clara last year.
However, in 2021-22 she appeared in 31 games and made 17 starts, averaging six points, and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.
Gracie Sorenson is a JUCO transfer from Eastern Arizona who averaged 8.4 points and seven rebounds per game for a Monsters side that won 30 games and reached the NJCAA Division I semifinals.
Scheduling Tidbits:
Utah Valley opens on November 6 with UMKC, a former WAC member.
The Wolverines will visit Kennesaw State in the WAC/CUSA scheduling initiative before a four-game homestand which includes two non-D1 games along with Cal State Bakersfield and Loyola Marymount visiting the UCCU Center.
It marks Naudia Evans’ return to Orem as the former GCU standout transferred to LMU with her Grad Year.
This year the Wolverines will spend Thanksgiving in San Diego as part of a four-game road trip that includes trips to Air Force and BYU.
“The girls are excited because we’ll get to be in some warmer weather for Thanksgiving but what excites me is getting to play teams we wouldn’t ordinarily schedule,” Nielson added in a recent appearance on the Straight Outta WAC podcast. “It’s also good preparation for our conference because you have limited prep for that second game, whether it’s regular season play or the tournament in Las Vegas.”
Utah Valley will finish off non-conference play with home games against Kennesaw State to complete the WAC/CUSA scheduling initiative and in-state rival Weber State.
During WAC play, the Wolverines will play defending champion CBU twice in a 12-day span from January 11 to January 23 and Southern Utah twice in a 14-day span from February 15 to March 1.
The Wolverines will finish with four of their final six games in Orem. That stretch run includes matchups against SUU, Utah Tech, Abilene Christian, and Tarleton.
Outlook:
The theme for Utah Valley this year needs to be turning close games into wins.
Of their 15 losses in conference play in 2023-24, half were by 10 points or less.
How do they go about moving up the standings?
The Wolverines need to address an offense that finished 10th or 11th in all three offensive categories (points per game, total field goal percentage, and 3-point field goal percentage).
Utah Valley’s defense was solid last year, ranking third in points allowed and fifth in the percentage categories. When the offense is struggling it puts even more pressure on that defense to get stops against the WAC’s high powered offenses.
Like Dan Nielson said, it will be about consistency from night to night for the Wolverines. One night, Utah Valley gets a big win over league-leading CBU. Two nights later, the Wolverines lose to rival Southern Utah in an offensive struggle.
Consistency. It can do wonders for a team and Utah Valley needs those wonders heading into 2024-25.