What was already a great season for UVU Women's Volleyball just got even better. The team is headed into the WAC semifinals, hosted at Utah Valley University this week, and today was the ribbon-cutting for the new dōTERRA Performance Center. 

"We have never had anything like it," said Tori Dorius, an outside hitter on UVU's team. "We haven't really had a great space to relax and do our homework. This is a great space to get our team bonding done, watch film, and be with our coaches. It will help us academically, physically, and mentally."

The new facilities, located near the Lockhart Arena, include coaches' offices, a film screening room for performance evaluation and preparation, a lounge, and training and locker room spaces. The gift from dōTERRA was beyond the team's expectations. "They went crazy when they walked in," Assistant Coach Scott Lee said.

He is excited about how the Performance Center will impact the current team and what it will mean for Wolverine success for years to come. "It's a big recruiting tool. It's a really nice place that we can show our recruits, and they can say, wow, they are invested in this program. I think that makes a difference."

Kent Nitta, a volunteer assistant for the women's volleyball team, says the new state-of-the-art facilities show a commitment to women's sports. "When opposing teams visit and see what we have here, they will say Utah Valley is serious about women's sports, and we feel totally proud about that. We are so thankful we have this opportunity."

Other teams will also benefit. The volleyball team's space takes up half of the facilities. The other half will be used periodically by the women's basketball team and the wrestling team, and it also provides an opportunity for UVU to add more sports programs moving forward.

Corey Lindley, dōTERRA Founding Executive and CFO, said the company employs hundreds of UVU students and alumni and values the role that UVU plays in the community. "At dōTERRA, we are about empowering people, and we are about excellence, and we are about making the world a better place — UVU accomplishes all of these things."

Utah Valley University President Astrid S. Tuminez expressed her gratitude to dōTERRA for its support of programs across campus. "You have helped us in the past — we have a great present, and the future looks bright."

As UVU's women's volleyball team prepares for their semifinal game against Grand Canyon University on Friday, they are encouraged by the very visible signs of support around them. Dorius said, "I just want everybody involved to know that we absolutely love it and are extremely grateful."

The team heads into the semifinals with a winning 12-4 record in WAC plays this season. The twelve conference wins are the most in school history. A limited number of tickets are available to watch the team play, but the 2 p.m. semifinal set will be broadcast on WAC Digital Network. The championship game, also at UVU, will be held Saturday, April 3, at 2 p.m.