Volleyball Rallies Past Wyoming, 3-1

Friday, November 11

Salt Lake City

7:00 PM

University of Utah

Wyoming

11/11/2005 12:00 AM | Volleyball

Nov. 11, 2005

Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY - Whitney Webb provided the spark that the University of Utah volleyball team needed to edge out conference rival Wyoming tonight, 3-1.

Game scores were 27-30, 30-26, 30-26 and 30-17 as Utah wins its seventh straight match. It improves to 18-6 overall and to 10-3 in Mountain West play. Wyoming falls to 9-14 and 4-8.

"I think it was hard to come back from our match against BYU last week," said head coach Beth Launiere. "It was hard to focus this week. We wanted to put it behind us but everywhere we went people wanted to talk about our win against the Cougars. We talked about it and that made it a little better.

"We got a good win here tonight, though. Wyoming was playing very well. They came in here winning in four out of its last five. They had a lot of confidence and we were able to weather that storm."

Utah got off to a sluggish start as it committed nine errors in game one, hitting a match-low .217. But, it got back on track in the final two games as the Utes only had eight errors (four in each games three and four) and hit .260 over that stretch. The home team finished hitting .243 for the match as it chalked up its 11th straight home win, the 10th this season.

Four Utes had double-doubles led by Airial Salvo's 15-kill, 13-dig performance. Shelly Sommerfeldt had 11 kills and 18 digs but Whitney Webb provided the spark that Utah needed tonight to surge past the Cowgirls. She had her first career double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. Not only did she hit a team-best .357, but she added six total blocks as well.

"That was a big-time match for (Whitney)," Launiere noted. "I really thought she stepped up and helped out when her teammates were struggling."

Shannon Krug got the fourth double-double. She set the attack in racking up 52 set assists and had 11 digs. She added five kills and four blocks to the effort.

Utah's defense held Wyoming to just .146 hitting and out-blocked it, 16-7. Emillie Toone had eight total blocks and formed a defensive wall with Lori Baird who chipped in with seven of her own. Sommerfeldt and Danielle Leichliter led the team with 18 digs each.

Rachel Smsith's 17 kills led the Cowgirls as did Tasha Weishahn's 49 assists. On defense, Michleele Weyder's 21 digs and Lauren Scott's four total blocks paced Wyoming.

Utah returns to action tomorrow, Nov.12, for its final home match of the season. It hosts Colorado State at Crimson Court at 7 p.m. It's senior night as Utah bids adieu to Shelly Sommerfeldt, Danielle Leichliter and Katie Theurer.