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Utes Face Rival BYU in Inaugural Deseret First Duel Contest
10/9/2007 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 9, 2007
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SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah volleyball team will look to get back on track this week against Brigham Young. The match marks the first contest in the Deseret First Duel rivalry series between the two schools.
The Week In Review
Utah went 1-2 this week, falling to No. 22 New Mexico State (3-1) and TCU (3-2), while defeating New Mexico (3-0).
After falling to the Aggies to start the week, the Utes won a hard-fought 3-0 game against the Lobos on Friday. Three players were in double figures in kills, led by Chelsey Sandberg, who had a career day with 10 kills on .562 hitting. Kathryn Haynie had 10 kills and 14 digs on the night while Whitney Webb tallied 11 kills and four blocks. Lori Baird had nine kills and nine blocks.
Up 2-0 against TCU, Utah dropped the final three games, falling 3-2. Webb had 19 kills on .424 hitting, including three blocks. Keisha Fisher had a double-double with 30 assists and 17 digs, as did Kathryn Haynie, who tallied 17 kills and 11 digs.
Scouting BYU
Brigham Young is 11-5 on the year, 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference after dropping its last game, 3-1, to New Mexico. The Cougars have been ranked as high as No. 9 in the AVCA poll, but fell out this week after the loss to the Lobos. BYU takes on Utah Valley this week before traveling to Salt Lake to play the Utes.
BYU is led by Chelsea Goodman, the MWC Preseason Player of the Year. She is averaging 4.46 kpg, 3.54 dpg and 0.34 aces per game. Rachel Dyer leads the conference with a .452 hitting percentage, while Ashton Hansen is close behind with a .385 percentage. Hanson also has 1.28 bpg. Kiana Rogers is averaging 12.59 assists per game. Annie Pinegar has 4.15 digs per game.
Jason Watson is in his third year as head coach at BYU. He is 61-15 in his career.
The BYU-Utah rivalry has been a constant of the Ute schedule. BYU leads the series, 54-21, but Utah has won the last four meetings.
Deseret First Duel
Friday's match marks the beginning of the Deseret First Duel rivalry series between Utah and BYU. This week's match counts for three points of the 64-point total.
The rivalry series includes competition in the 12 sports the two universities compete in head-to-head during regular-season play. The Deseret First Duel will use a system that awards points to the winner of each head-to-head competition. A team trophy will be awarded to the individual winner of each sport. Points won by the individual sports will count toward each school's overall total. At the conclusion of each school year, a granite traveling trophy will be awarded to the overall rivalry series champion.
The Utah vs. BYU rivalry is one of the oldest and strongest in the country. In November 2005, the Wall Street Journal rated the rivalry the fourth best in college athletics.
Against the Best
Utah has played five teams in the top 25 of the AVCA poll. Utah defeated No. 17 Purdue (3-2) and played competitive matches against No. 4 USC, No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Florida and No. 22 New Mexico State, losing several games in each match by just a few points. In addition, the Utes fell to Dayton, 3-2, which moved into the rankings after playing Utah. Colorado State has been ranked in the low top 25 while UNLV has received votes in the poll. BYU has also been ranked this season.
Holding Opponents
Utah leads the MWC in opponent hitting percentage. The Utes are holding opponents to just a .159 hitting percentage. Utah has twice held opponents below .100, holding Dayton (8/31) to .080 and Air Force (9/28) to .008.
Recent Surges
Senior Whitney Webb has led Utah in its last three games with 3.67 kills per game and a .287 hitting percentage. She also tallied 11 blocks. Webb recorded a team-best 19 kills vs. TCU.
Sophomore Chelsey Sandberg recorded 1.75 kills per game on a .271 hitting percentage, tallying a career-best 10 kills and .562 hitting percentage vs. New Mexico.
Middle (Wo)man
Senior Lori Baird has led the Utes in conference play, averaging 1.63 blocks per game in MWC play, which ranks second in the conference.
She has also recorded 3.22 kills per game with a .287 hitting percentage. Her .287 percentage ranks 10th in the conference in MWC games.
Players Mentioned
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