Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Weber State (Exhibition) on August 15, 2026 at 3:00 P.M.
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The University of Utah Athletics
No. 14 Ute Volleyball To Take On Aztecs, Rebs
11/5/2001 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 5, 2001
No. 14 Utah vs. San Diego State, Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. (MT)
No. 14 Utah vs. UNLV, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. (MT)
COMING UP:
On Fri., Nov. 9, Utah will face the Aztecs of San Diego State at 7:00 p.m. in San Diego, Calif. The Utes will take on the Rebels of UNLV on Sat., Nov. 10, at 7:00 p.m. in Las Vegas, Nev.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
The Utes went 2-0 last week with wins over Wyoming and No. 6 ranked Colorado State at home. The Utes won in three games over the Wyoming Cowgirls (30-19, 30-21, 30-28), on Fri., Nov. 2 at Crimson Court. Utah recorded another MWC win over the No. 6 ranked Colorado State Rams in five quick games (30-22, 30-26, 24-30, 18-30, 15-12) on Sat., Nov. 3 in Salt Lake City. Utah ended a 20-match win streak for the Rams and handed CSU its first loss of the season and in MWC play. CSU was one of only two top-25 teams (the other team was No. 1 ranked Long Beach State, 20-0) undefeated before facing Utah. The Utes are a perfect 13-0 at home this season and are on a 15-match overall home win streak. Utah is on a 10-match win streak overall. The Utes are currently 18-4 overall, 10-2 in the MWC.
Possible starters for the Utes in the match-up against SDSU and UNLV are: McKelle Stilson (Sr., MB), Kelsie Kartchner (Fr., S) or Jackie Morrill (So., S/DS), Lenka Urbanov? (Sr., OH), Sylva Strzinkov? (Jr., OH), Katrena Ellett (Jr., OH/MB), Alisa Geddes (Sr., OH), Kim Turner (So., MB) and Adrianne Bradley-Drake (Sr., MB/OH).
The Utes return four starters, 10 letterwinners and add three true freshmen, along with two transfers to this year's roster. Utah moves up in the polls this week to No. 14 in the Nov. 5 USA Today/AVCA Top-25 poll. The Utes have been ranked for 11 consecutive weeks. The No. 14 ranking is the highest-ever ranking for the Utah volleyball program.
SERIES SHORTS:
San Diego State leads the all-time series with Utah, 14-9. In the last meeting on Oct. 13, 2001, Utah swept the Aztecs, 3-0 (30-19, 30-18, 30-17) in Salt Lake City. Utah is 7-6 at home, 1-8 away and 1-0 at a neutral site vs. SDSU. Utah leads the all-time series with UNLV, 10-1. The last time both teams met on Oct. 12, 2001, Utah defeated UNLV, 3-0, (30-27, 30-20, 30-23) at Crimson Court. Utah is 4-0 at home, 5-1 away and 1-0 at a neutral site vs. the Rebels.
QUOTING LAUNIERE:
On the upcoming San Diego State and UNLV matches- "This weekend we have two very critical road matches. We are still in a position to win a part of the MWC regular-season title, depending on what happens to Colorado State, but we have to take care of business on our end. Both San Diego State and UNLV are very good teams at home and it will be a challenging weekend for us."
SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE:
The San Diego State Aztecs are currently 14-9 overall, 8-4 in the MWC. Zlatina Anguelova leads the team, averaging 3.66 kills per game for a .264 hitting percentage and 1.92 digs per game. Katie Magnuson averages 3.03 kills per game for a .208 hitting percentage and 2.77 digs per game. Melissa Wright averages 11.40 assists per game and 1.57 digs per game. Head coach Mark Warner is in his 7th year at San Diego State. He posts a 101-83 overall and career record.
SCOUTING UNLV:
The UNLV Rebels are currently 8-11 overall, 5-7 in MWC play. Blair Wilkes leads the team, averaging 2.88 kills per game for a .379 hitting percentage, Leiana Oswald totals 2.85 kills per game and adds 1.65 digs per game. Niki King averages 10.00 assists per game and 1.98 digs per game. Head coach Deitre Collins is in her 6th year at UNLV. She posts a 55-83 career and overall record.
NEXT WEEK:
On Nov. 15-17, the Utes will compete for the MWC Tournament crown in Provo, Utah. Then Utah will compete in the Banker's Classic on Nov. 23-24, in Stockton, Calif. The Utes will face Hawaii at 5:00 p.m. (PST) on Nov. 23 and either Fairfield or Pacific on Nov. 24. Utah will await the chance to participate in the NCAAs on Nov. 29-Dec. 1.
UTAH RANKINGS IN THE MWC:
Utah, as a team is second in the MWC in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to just a .150 hitting percentage per match. The Utes are second in match win-loss percentage (.833) and blocks (3.17), and third with a .248 hitting percentage. Utah is third in assists (14.22), kills (15.66), digs (13.45), and service aces (1.70). Individually, Utah ranks among the top in the MWC statistical leaders. Junior Sylva Strzinkova is second in the MWC in digs (2.97), eighth in points (4.15), and ninth in kills (3.47) and service aces (0.35). Senior Alisa Geddes is fifth in digs (2.56) and service aces (0.44), sophomore Kim Turner is fourth in blocks (1.48) and ninth in hitting percentage (.315). Senior McKelle Stilson is fifth in hitting percentage (.348), senior Adrianne Drake is eighth in blocks (1.16) and freshman Kelsie Kartchner is eighth in assists (7.16).
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Nov. 5):
Utah sophomore middle blocker Kim Turner was named the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. This is Turner's second award this season and third overall.
Turner helped then-No. 15 Utah upset then-No. 6 Colorado State in five games in Salt Lake City. Turner played a significant role for the Utes in the blocking category last week. In a match where the Rams and the Utes combined for a MWC season-high 42 blocks, Turner totaled a career-high 11 blocks. She recorded her first double-double of the season, adding 10 kills vs. the Rams, while posting a .375 hitting percentage (10k-1e-24a). In a three-game win over Wyoming, Turner totaled six kills, three digs and three blocks. For the week, Turner averaged 2.0 kills, 1.75 blocks, .62 digs and 2.94 points per game, while hitting .275.
Utah is on a 10-match winning streak and has a league-high 13 straight victories at home. The Utes recently moved up to No. 14 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll*their highest ranking in school history.
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (OCT. 22):
Utah sophomore middle blocker Kim Turner was named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 22.
Turner helped then-No. 18 Utah sweep a pair of in-state teams last week. In a three-game victory over Weber State, Turner hit a season-high .750 with 10 kills, while playing just two of the three games in the match. Turner played one of her best matches of the year in a five-game upset of No. 13 BYU as she tallied a season-high 18 kills along with a .333 hitting percentage. She also posted nine block assists for a season-high 22.5 points in the match.
For the week, Turner averaged 4.0 kills, .43 digs, 1.43 blocks and 4.71 points per game, while hitting .444 (28k-8e-45a).
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (OCT. 15):
Utah junior outside hitter Sylva Strzinkova was named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 15, marking the first time she has earned the award.
A native of Brno, Czech Republic and a transfer from Salt Lake CC, Strzinkova helped the Utes sweep UNLV and San Diego State (Oct. 12 and 13) to extend their home win streak to eight matches. Strzinkova totaled 12 kills and hit .400 vs. UNLV, and came back the next night to post her league-leading seventh double-double of the season with 12 kills and 14 digs vs. SDSU. She also tallied five block assists and hit .455 vs. the Aztecs.
NEW ON THE STAT REPORT:
The MWC is tracking individual points per game this season. Points are awarded based on the following formula: kills + aces + solo blocks + 1/2-assist blocks. Utah, as a team is seventh in the MWC in points (1581.0). On the year, Sylva Strzinkova leads the Utes with 311.5 points (4.15 ppg), followed by Kim Turner with 276.0 (3.68 ppg), Alisa Geddes with 248.0 points (3.22 ppg), McKelle Stilson with 229.0 (3.09 ppg) and Adrianne Drake with 223.5 (2.98 ppg).
NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL ATTENDANCE:
Utah ranks just outside the top 30 in the nation in home match attendance. In 13 matches at home, the Utes have brought in 10,048 fans, an average of 773 fans per match. Utah's match with BYU on Oct. 19, 2001 at Crimson Court marked the second highest attendance in school history with 1,571 fans.
UTAH VS. RANKED OPPONENTS:
Utah is 5-3 (.625) vs. opponents ranked in the Top 25 USA Today/AVCA Coaches' Poll. On Fri., Aug. 31, the Utes defeated then-No. 25-ranked Georgia Tech in three games at Crimson Court. On Thurs., Sept. 6, Utah lost to then-No. 5-ranked Arizona Wildcats. The Utes lost in three games in Tucson, Ariz. The Utes defeated then-No. 23 ranked Colorado in five games on Sat., Sept. 8, at Crimson Court. Utah lost to then-No. 14-ranked BYU Cougars in three games in Provo, Utah on Thurs., Sept. 20. On Fri., Oct. 5, the Utes lost to then-No. 9 ranked Colorado State in three games at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. Utah recorded a comeback win in five games over then-No. 13-ranked BYU at Crimson Court on Fri., Oct. 19. The Utes defeated then-No. 25-ranked Utah State in four games at home on Tues., Oct. 26. On Sat., Nov. 3, Utah upset then-No. 6-ranked Colorado State in five games at Crimson Court.
UTES HIT 450 CAREER WINS:
The University of Utah women's volleyball program hit the 450 career-win mark on Oct. 27. The 3-0 win over Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo., marked the Utes 450th career win.
LAUNIERE APPROACHING 225TH CAREER WIN MARK:
Utah's winningest coach in school history, Beth Launiere is quickly approaching her 225th career win. Launiere needs just four more wins and with four matches left and the Mountain West Conference Tournament to follow, she could very well hit the mark.
HEAD COACH BETH LAUNIERE:
In her 12th season, Beth Launiere has not only resurrected the Ute volleyball program and turned it into a consistent winner, she has also guided Utah to unprecedented success on the national level. Under Launiere's leadership, Utah made its third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000, and for a third-straight year advanced to the second round. It is the crowning achievement of Launiere's eleven-year tenure at Utah, in which she has posted a 221-150 (.596) career record. The winningest coach in school history, Launiere has overseen a significant transformation since her arrival in 1990. In the last seven years alone, Launiere has guided the Utes to six 20-win seasons and Utah's third-place finish in the MWC in 2000 marked its eighth-consecutive upper-division finish in conference play. Launiere worked hard in 2000 to maintain the level of play and expectations of the previous season. The 2000 season was a definite breakthrough year for Utah volleyball. Starting off on a good note, the Utes checked in with 59 votes in the preseason poll. With a 23-8 overall record, Utah posted its fifth consecutive, and sixth overall, 20-win season. The Utes' .742 overall winning percentage proved the best in school history. Utah also equaled the third-best conference winning percentage in school history last season (10-4, .714). The 2000 squad was the only team in school history to beat a No. 1 ranked opponent (a come-from-behind five-game victory over Stanford). With the win over Stanford and two more wins that next weekend, Utah earned its first-ever national ranking, coming in 18th in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll released Mon., Sept. 12, 2000. Launiere recorded her 200th career victory at the McLeodUSA MWC Tournament with a 3-1 (15-9, 15-3, 5-15, 15-9) win over UNLV on Thurs., Nov. 16, 2000.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
The Utes practice from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. in East 101 at the HPER building on the University of Utah campus. All practice times and dates are tentative and subject to change. For regular scheduled practice times, please contact Julie Lapomarda. Utah Women's Volleyball practices are closed to the media. To set up interviews before or after practice with Head Coach Beth Launiere or Ute players, please contact Julie Lapomarda women's volleyball SID at: (801) 581-3771 (office), or at (801) 468-0571 (home).
WEEKLY INTERVIEWS:
Members of the media who wish to interview Head Coach Beth Launiere should contact her at her office (801-581-6843) between 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. weekdays. Interviews with the athletes should be arranged through Julie Lapomarda (801-581-3771).
POST-MATCH SERVICES/INTERVIEWS:
Head Coach Beth Launiere and Utah players will be available for interviews outside the Utah lockerroom following a 10 minute cooling off period. A member of the Utah sports information staff will gather interview requests immediately following the match. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.
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