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)
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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Volleyball Notes
9/27/2004 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 27, 2004
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What's on Tap?
The No. 22-ranked (USA Today/CSTV) University of Utah women's volleyball team (8-2, 1-0 Mountain West) wraps up a four-match road swing with three matches on the docket this week. First up are the Wildcats from Weber State on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The Utes return to Mountain West Conference play when they play at Air Force (Oct. 1) and at New Mexico (Oct. 2). All three matches start at 7 p.m.
Scouting the Opposition:
Weber State (2-11, 1-1 Big Sky) got off to a slow start in 2004, dropping its first nine matches. However, the Wildcats have won two of their last four and are coming off a conference loss to Montana State on Saturday, 3-0. Lindsay Harris leads the Wildcat attack with a team-best 2.48 kills per game and a .241 hitting percentage. Kaylianne Valenzuela and Shelby Walford set the attack. Valenzuela averages 8.96 assists per game while Walford averages 5.48. Harris' 1.27 blocks and Kaytie Thorpe's 3.79 digs also pace Weber State.
Air Force (4-6, 0-2 Mountain West) will look to snap a two-match losing streak with a non-conference match against Denver on Tuesday before hosting the Utes on Friday. The Falcons fell to Colorado State (0-3) and Wyoming (1-3) in conference tilts last weekend. Kristin Hamlett's 3.55 kills per game and .250 hitting percentage lead the Falcons' attackers. Carly Siefken leads AFA with 10.62 assists, Jenalee Burke with 2.87 digs and Brooke Akers with 0.85 blocks.
New Mexico (6-6, 0-2 Mountain West) is also looking to break out of a two-match skid. After losses to Wyoming (2-3) and Colorado State (0-3) last weekend, the Lobos return to the court to host BYU on Thursday and Utah on Saturday. Samie Weber's 2.15 kills per game and .268 hitting percentage lead the Lobos. Monica Meihack has a team-high 10.49 assists per game while other team leaders are Adah Burke (4.71 digs) and Weber (1.13 blocks).
Series Records:
The Utes are a combined 84-45 versus this week's competition and hold the all-time series lead against all three teams. Utah is 40-19 all-time against Weber State and edged the Wildcats last year, 3-1. And, with a pair of conference wins over both Air Force and New Mexico last year, Utah upped its all-time record to 12-0 against the Falcons and to 32-26 versus the Lobos.
Quoting Head Coach Beth Launiere:
On This Week: "Playing four matches on the road is a tough stretch for us. Weber State is an important match to us and the Air Force-New Mexico trip is rough travel-wise. We have to be prepared for every match this week."
On BYU: "When you open up conference play on the road against a good BYU team that will finish among the top in our conference, of course it's a good win for us. I wasn't pleased with how we played. We've been preparing for a lot of opponents the last few weeks and I think our play has digressed. We need to get back into the gym and work on our fundamentals."
Last Week:
The Utes won their fifth straight match and got off to a 1-0 start in Mountain West Conference play by beating BYU, 3-1, last Friday.
Utah got off to a slow start in games one and two, surrendering game two to the Cougars. After tallying 17 errors and hitting .063 in the first two games, Utah settled down, committing only eight errors and hitting .263 in chalking up victories in games three and four.
Lyndsey Henderson led the Utes with 14 kills and eight blocks. Shelly Sommerfeldt tacked on another 13 kills. Tracy Neumeier led the way with 23 assists while Connie Dangerfield recorded 18 digs.
Weekly Stats:
National Rankings: Lyndsey Henderson is ninth in blocks per game (1.76) while the team ranks sixth (3.5).
Mountain West Individual Stats: Lyndsey Henderson is first in blocks per game (1.78), sixth in hitting percentage (.335) and sixth in kills (3.49); Danielle Leichliter is third in service aces per game (0.42); Connie Dangerfield is third in digs (4.08); Amie Toone is sixth in blocks (1.29) and 13th in hitting percentage (.263); Tracy Neumeier is eighth in assists (6.03); Kelsie Kartchner is ninth in assists (5.82); Emillie Toone is 10th in blocks (1.16); Shelly Sommerfeldt is 13th in kills (3.08) .
Mountain West Team Stats: Utah is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.129) and blocks (3.45); second in service aces (1.89) and digs (14.71); it is fourth in hitting (.229) and kills (14.45); sixth in assists (13.05).
If You Start Me Up, I'll Never Stop!:
The Utes are used to getting off to a good start in their matches. Utah is 9-1 in game ones this season. In fact, the Utes also hold the edge over their opponents in games three (9-1) and four (4-2). More impressive is the fact that the Utes are 4-0 in the third game of matches in which they have won the first two games. However, opponents have the advantage in game two so far this year, 6-4.
Danger in the Back Row!:
Connie Dangerfield continues to step it up in the back row. In the first six matches, the sophomore libero averaged 3.05 digs. But, in the last four, Dangerfield is scooping 5.50 digs per game. Her season average has upped to 4.08 (third overall in the MWC, fourth in conference games only). In the first six matches of the year, Dangerfield's season high was 16. But, in the last four, 16 has been her low. She tallied a conference record 33 digs against UCLA, 21 versus Northern Colorado, 16 in the Saint Mary's match and 18 at BYU. Entering this year, her career high was 17.
Eight's (Not) Enough:
Lyndsey Henderson continues to be a defensive force for the Utes at the net. At BYU, the 6-3 middle blocker had eight blocks. That was her fifth match this year with eight or more blocks. She tallied eight against George Washington, nine at UC Irvine and twice had a career-high tying 10-block performance (against UVSC and UCLA). Henderson is tops in the MWC in blocks (1.78 per game) and enters action this week ranked in the top 10 in country.
You Gotta Work Hard for Your ... Points:
Utah's defense continues to be its Hallmark this season. The Utes are tops in the Mountain West Conference in opponent hitting percentage (.129), forcing their opponents to hit a league high 302 errors. Moreover, their 3.45 blocks per game are tops in the MWC while their 14.71 digs per game is second. Lyndsey Henderson leads the defense with a conference best 1.78 blocks while Connie Dangerfield is third in MWC with 4.08 digs.
Potent Notables:
Utah remains in the USA Today/CSTV coaches poll this week, checking in at No. 22. The Utes have been in three of five weekly polls this season. No. 22 is the highest ranking yet this season ... Utah will battle its fourth instate school this week in Weber State. It is 3-0 against teams from the Beehive State. The Utes topped UVSC (3-0), Utah State (3-0) and BYU (3-1) earlier this season ... Utah will put one of two streaks on the line this week. The Utes have won five straight matches. It also owns a five-match home winning streak ... 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. Three matches still remain against ranked teams (two versus No. 9 Colorado State, one versus No. 6 Hawaii) ... Utah is 1-1 in five-game matches, beating UCLA and falling to UC Irvine ... the Utes have played only one extra-point game this year, edging Long Beach State, 31-29 ... Utah is 3-0 in games settled by two points, and 7-5 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 283-173 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 return to the friendly confines of Crimson Court on Friday, Oct. 8, to host Mountain West rival UNLV. Weekend action continues when Utah hosts San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 9. Both matches will start at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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