Head coach Beth Launiere started her 25th season as Utah’s head coach in style as the Utes swept the Utah Classic, going a perfect 3-0 over the weekend.
Utah started off the tournament by beating Montana State on Friday night, 3-0, then following that up with victories over Missouri State, 3-2, and New Mexico State, 3-0, on Saturday. The Utes dropped only two sets in the three matches combined.
In the first match, Utah got off to a rough start in the first set against the Bobcats, where they found themselves down by three midway through the set. Then, a 7-2 run put the Utes up 18-16, as they saw out the set for a 25-21 victory. The second set saw the same score line of 25-21 in favor of the Utes, but it was a much more comfortable win as the Utes led all the way through the set. The Utes finished off Montana State 25-16 in the third and final set.
“I thought it went well, I thought we did a lot of good things,” Launiere said. “Started out a little bit shaky and then settled right in and got better as the match went on. I was very, very pleased with it.”
Shelby Dalton and Chelsey Schofield-Olsen both recorded their first double-doubles of the season, and freshman Eliza Katoa made her debut, playing well as she finished the match with a .529 kill percentage, totaling 11 kills.
“It was so awesome,” Katoa said about her game. “I’m not going to lie, I was so nervous, I was shaking before the game, but, I mean, it’s so fun, and … the atmosphere was awesome.”
Saturday morning, Utah had its toughest match of the tournament as Missouri State pushed it to five sets. After the Utes and Bears went back and forth in the first four sets, Utah was able to win the decisive fifth set, 15-10. The Utes were led by seniors Dalton, Schofield-Olsen and Bailey Bateman as they combined for a total of 38 kills. Senior setter Kalee Kirby had 26 assists to lead the Utes.
“This was a tough test for us as a team,” Kirby said. “We came together in tough points and pulled it out in the end.”
In the tournament finale against New Mexico State, the Utes came out strong as they took an early 6-1 lead and never looked back. Utah finished off the Aggies with ease in the first set, winning it 25-17. The second set provided the most excitement for the fans at Crimson Court as the Utes managed to come back from an 18-9 deficit to tie the match at 24-24. After trading points back and forth, the Utes found themselves down 29-28, but they managed to grab the next three points and win the set, 31-29. The winning point came on a block by Bateman. The third set was another close one, but still saw Utah come out on top, 27-25.
“I thought sets two and three showed our experience,” Launiere said. “I didn’t think we panicked. Just chipped away at the lead. It took a lot of hard work to get that lead back.”
Launiere was extremely pleased with the play of her redshirt freshman Carly Trueman, who started the first two sets of the final match by going 7-for-7 on kills. She continued her tear in the third set by registering two more.
“I’m excited about her abilities,” Launiere said. “She was really consistent throughout the tournament, and I think that says a lot for a freshman. That’s a big-time performance.”
Dalton, Schofield-Olsen and Bateman were all named to the All-tournament team, with Bateman being named the MVP. However, Bateman was quick to give credit to her teammates rather than herself.
“I was really excited, really happy with the way my team played,” Bateman said. “If my team plays good, it makes me look good. Kudos to them for working their butts off.”
The Utes will next compete when they travel to California this weekend to face the Cal Poly Mustangs and St. Mary’s Gaels. Both games will take place at the McKeon Pavilion, home court for St. Mary’s, for Utah’s first neutral and road games of the season.
@BenJasarevic