Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Weber State (Exhibition) on August 15, 2026 at 3:00 P.M.
3:00 P.M.
Volleyball
vs Weber State (Exhibition)
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Volleyball Notes
10/4/2004 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 4, 2004
Complete Release and Cumulative Statistics in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
What's on Tap?
The No. 20-ranked (USA Today/CSTV) University of Utah women's volleyball team (11-2, 3-0 Mountain West) return home from a four-match road swing to host UNLV and San Diego State this weekend. UNLV comes to Crimson Court on Friday, Oct. 8 while the Utes host the Aztecs on Saturday, Oct. 9. Both matches will start at 7 p.m.
Scouting the Opposition:
UNLV (8-5, 2-1 Mountain West) comes to town having won three of its last four matches. The Rebels topped Wyoming in their last outing, 3-2, but dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 9 Colorado State. They are 0-2 this year in true road matches and 3-3 when factoring in neutral site tilts. Maria Aladjova leads the team and the conference with 4.04 kills per game. Her .245 hitting percentage is only second to Mariana Pencheva who is hitting .272 for the season. Nicki King sets the attack and is third in the conference with 12.18 assists. Jada Walker is tops on the team in digs (4.61) while Lauren Miramontes leads in blocks (0.93).
San Diego State (1-14, 1-2 Mountain West) snapped a 13-match losing streak when it topped Wyoming (3-1) last weekend. However, it dropped the second match of the week to CSU, 3-0. Ashley Bowker leads the way with 1.78 kills per outing while Lindsey Mahan is tops with a .257 hitting percentage. The attack centers around Kristen Castillo who averages a team-best 9.80 assists. Defensively, Bowker (1.31 blocks per game) and Aime Cordeiro (3.60 digs) lead the way.
Series Records:
This weekend will mark the 17th meeting between Utah and UNLV, with Utah holding the 15-1 series lead. The Utes tallied 3-2 and 3-1 wins over the Rebels last season. The lone Rebel victory in the series was a 3-0 sweep in the 1998 Western Athletic Conference tournament. Utah trails in the all-time series with San Diego State, 13-16. The Utes have won four straight over the Aztecs, including a pair of 3-0 wins in 2003. The last time SDSU edged the Utes was on Sept. 29, 2002. It chalked up the 3-2 home win. Utah is 192-176 all-time in conference play.
Quoting Head Coach Beth Launiere:
On Returning Home for Two Matches: "Playing the last four matches on the road during this time of the year is stressful for our team. We are excited to get back home because that will begin to help solve our problems."
On the Team's Struggles: "I don't think we're playing our best volleyball right now. We are struggling but we need to respond to that before we lose. Good teams respond to lulls before a loss and that is our goal.
"But, we are winning through the tough times and that says a lot about this team. Some could have said that the bottom was going to fall out but it's not. We are enjoying a good season and our best volleyball is still ahead of us. We'll get through this and figure it out."
Last Week:
The Utes tallied wins over Weber State (3-1) and conference foes Air Force (3-1) and New Mexico (3-2) in three matches last week.
Utah had to rally from a game-one loss to top Weber State on Tuesday. The Utes out-hit the Wildcats in the final three frames and had to hold WSU at bay in game four after it erased a six-point deficit to knot it at 28. Lyndsey Henderson's 17 kills led the way and was complemented by Katrena Ellett's 12 and Emillie Toone's 10. Kelsie Kartchner had a match-high 37 assists.
The Utes, rallying behind Liana Bortoto's 18 kills, notched a come-from-behind win after dropping game one to Air Force. Air Force hit .098 for the match after hitting .235 in the game-one victory. However, Utah hit .293 for the match and outblocked the Falcons, 12.0-8.0, in securing the win. Shelly Sommerfeldt chipped in with 16 kills while Henderson totaled 11. Bortoto also had 13 digs.
New Mexico couldn't hold on to a 2-1 lead despite out blocking Utah, 22.5 -9.0, and out hitting the Utes .169-.146. Utah hit a swift .333 in game five and held UNM to .000 hitting to cruise to the 15-8 win in the final stanza. Henderson's 14 kills led an offensive trio for the Utes. Bortoto had 12 kills while Kartchner finished with 10.
Weekly Stats:
National Rankings: As of 9/26, Lyndsey Henderson is fourth in blocks per game (1.78) while the team ranks fourth (3.45).
Mountain West Individual Stats: Lyndsey Henderson is second in blocks per game (1.62), fifth in hitting percentage (.326) and sixth in kills (3.42); Danielle Leichliter is second in service aces per game (0.42); Connie Dangerfield is fourth in digs (4.00); Amie Toone is eighth in blocks (1.16) and 19th in hitting percentage (.238); Tracy Neumeier is eighth in assists (5.94); Kelsie Kartchner is ninth in assists (5.90); Shelly Sommerfeldt is 18th in kills (2.78).
Mountain West Team Stats: Utah is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.133); second in blocks (3.10); second in service aces (1.88) and digs (14.49); it is fourth in hitting (.226;) fifth in kills (14.33); fifth in assists (12.96).
Crazy Eights:
The Utes have rattled off eight straight wins since dropping a five-game heartbreaker to UC Irvine back on Sept. 6. It is now one of four Ute teams to engineer such a streak. The 1977, 1980 and 2000 teams all had eight-match winning streaks. Only three other teams have recorded longer such streaks. The 2001 team (which advanced to the Sweet 16) won 10 straight while the 1978 and 1997 teams have program-best 11-match winning streaks to their credit.
Outside (Hitter) Looking In:
Outside hitter Liana Bortoto stepped it up last week. The senior led all Utah players over the three matches with a .312 hitting percentage and was second with 3.17 kills per game. Among those stats was a career-high evening at Air Force. Bortoto led the way with a career-high 18 kills and tallied a double-double with a personal-best 13 digs. She hit .452 against the Falcons to lead all players. Bortoto followed up her Air Force performance with a career-high four aces at New Mexico. For the season, Bortoto is hitting .184 and averages 2.26 kills.
You're An Inspiration:
The Utes have inspired a string of recent opponents to step up their block defense when they meet. Utah decisively outblocked its opponents in the first eight outings (105.0-58.5) while the last five opponents held an edge at the net, 74.5-53.0. In fact, New Mexico racked up a phenomenal 22.5 blocks on the Utes (who recorded 9.0 themselves). That is the most by a Utah rival this season. Utah has only out-blocked Air Force in its last five bouts ( 12.0-8.0). Utah's blocking has slipped a notch from tops in the Mountain West to second, averaging 3.10 blocks per game.
Potent Notables:
Utah climbed in the USA Today/CSTV coaches poll this week, checking in at No. 20. The Utes, ranked 22nd last week, have been in the poll for three straight weeks. No. 20 is the highest ranking yet this season ... head coach Beth Launiere is 14 wins shy of tallying 300 career victories ... Utah has won eight straight matches and also boasts a five-match home winning streak this season. Utah is undefeated on Crimson Court this year (5-0). It hasn't lost at home since Sept. 27, 2003 (CSU, 3-1). The Utes have won 11 straight home matches since that time ... Utah is 2-2 against teams mentioned in the USA Today/CSTV coaches poll. It beat No. 6 UCLA (3-2) and Saint Mary's (3-1) which was receiving votes. The Utes dropped matches to Long Beach State (3-1) and UC Irvine (3-2), which were also receiving votes at the time. LBSU is currently No. 23 while Saint Mary's has climbed to No. 19. Three matches still remain against ranked teams (two versus No. 7 Colorado State, one versus No. 4 Hawaii) ... Utah is 2-1 in five-game matches, beating UCLA and New Mexico and falling to UC Irvine ... the Utes have played only one extra-point game this year, edging Long Beach State, 31-29 ... Utah is 5-0 in games settled by two points, and 10-8 in games settled by three.
At The Helm:
Beth Launiere begins her 15th season as the mentor of the Utah women's volleyball program. She owns a 286-173 all-time record. She has led her squad to NCAA Tournament appearances the last six seasons, including a "Sweet 16" showing in 2001. Following the "Sweet 16" showing, Launiere was named the 2001 Tachikara/AVCA Division I West Region Coach of the Year. Launiere's Utes have recorded nine 20-win seasons, and last year, Utah posted a school-record 12 conference victories. A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Launiere graduated from Aquinas College and was an assistant at Ferris State and Illinois before taking over the Ute program in 1990.
On the Air:
Radio broadcasts and live video streaming of home volleyball games will be available on the Internet at the official athletics Web site, www.UtahUtes.com. In addition, the Nov. 13 home match against Colorado State will be televised on College Sports TV (CSTV). It will air on tape delay on Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m. (MST). Check with your local cable or satellite provider for more information on CSTV.
Up Next:
The Utes hit the road for two tough conference matches at No. 7-ranked Colorado State and Wyoming. Utah locks horns with the Rams on Friday, Oct. 8, and battles the Cowgirls on Saturday, Oct. 9. Both matches will start at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
L
/ Volleyball
OH/MB
/ VolleyballGet to know new Utah Volleyball Head Coach Alyssa D'Errico.
Wednesday, December 10
Utah Volleyball Press Conference - 12.10.25
Wednesday, December 10
ESPN+ Feature | Utah Volleyball's Leah Wilton-LaBoy
Thursday, November 20
ESPN+ Feature | Utah Volleyball's Devyn Weist
Thursday, November 06