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The University of Utah Athletics
Ute Volleyball Welcomes New Mexico and TCU
10/28/2008 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah volleyball team (15-5, 7-2 MWC) hosts Mountain West Conference foes New Mexico (Thursday at 7 p.m.) and TCU (Sunday at 1 p.m.) this weekend at Crimson Court in Salt Lake City.
Last Week
Kathryn Haynie (North Salt Lake City, Utah) posted an impressive all-around performance with 10 kills, seven digs, and four blocks as Utah extended its season-long win streak to eight matches with a 3-0 win over Air Force Saturday night in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Utes completed their season sweep of the Falcons and extended their MWC winning streak to seven by outhitting Air Force .306 to .086 and outblocking Air Force, 11.5 to 4, for the match.
Lori Baird (Murray, Utah) totaled 15 kills, two service aces and two blocks but Utah had its eight-match win streak snapped at No. 7 Oregon in a 3-1 loss Monday. Baird committed only two attack errors while tallying a team-high 15 kills. Haynie tied her career high with 15 digs and also had 14 kills for her 17th career double-double performance and her fifth of the season.
Scouting New Mexico
New Mexico is on a three-match win streak and has won nine out of its last 11 matches. The Lobos enter the week 17-4 overall and are 7-3 in conference play. NMU has outhit its opponents .248 to .137 this season and is getting 2.70 blocks per set, compared to just 2.0 for its opponents. Reigning MWC Player of the Week Jeanne Fairchild is the overwhelming leader of the Lobo attack. Fairchild averages 4.82 kills per set, totaling 328 kills on 710 attack attempts with 117 errors for a .297 hitting percentage. The Lobos' next leading attacker is Anna Lehne, who averages 2.16 kills per set. Setter Jade Michaelsen averages 10.89 assists per set. Lisa Meeter leads UNM with 15 service aces. Gayle Tripp leads the team with 4.65 digs per set.
New Mexico Series History
The Utes lead the all-time series against New Mexico, 41-27. In the last meeting, Utah received another impressive performance by Baird, who slammed down a career-high 21 kills, to lead the Utes to a 3-1 road win on Oct. 4. The Utes were paced by Baird, who had a career-high 21 kills on a .447 hitting percentage (21-4-38).
Scouting TCU
TCU owns a 17-6 overall record and is 6-4 in the MWC entering Thursday's match at BYU. TCU has won three of its last four matches. Lauren Otto is the lone Horned Frog averaging more three kills per set (3.13). Irene Hester follows with 2.37 kills per set, and Kourtney Edwards has 2.35 and has a team-leading 1.19 blocks per set. Nirelle Hampton averages 9.66 assists per set and Katelyn Blackwood paces TCU with 3.94 digs per set.
TCU Series History
Utah owns a 9-2 edge in the all-time series with TCU. In the last meeting, Utah was led by 14 kills from Baird in a 3-0 win at TCU on Oct. 2 in Forth Worth, Texas.
Home Sweet Home
The Utes are 7-1 at Crimson Court this season. The lone loss was a 3-2 decision to then-No. 15 Purdue on Sept. 13 in the championship match of the Utah Classic.
Red October
The Utes claimed three MWC Player of the Week awards this month. Utah's leader during its eight-match win streak, Baird, won the award twice in the first three weeks of this month.
Baird won the award for the first time this season on Oct. 6 after leading Utah to three consecutive road victories, including wins at TCU and New Mexico. In three matches that week, Baird averaged 4.18 kills, 1.82 blocks, 0.91 digs with a .420 hitting percentage (46-9-88).
Middle blocker Emillie Toone (American Fork, Utah) was named MWC Co-Player of the Week on Oct. 13. Toone led Utah to two conference home wins against UNLV and San Diego State as the Utes took sole possession of second place in the MWC standings. In two matches, Toone averaged 2.71 kills, 2.14 blocks and 3.93 points per set.
Baird earned her third career conference player of the week honors on Oct. 20 after registering a Utah single-match school record 16 block assists as well as a team-high 11 kills in the Utes' 3-0 win over BYU on Oct. 17 in a Deseret First Duel match in Provo. Baird's 16 blocks is a conference single-match season-high and ranks second all-time in MWC history.
Crazy Eight
During Utah's season-long eight-match win streak that was snapped Monday at Oregon, the Utes outblocked their opponents 3.93 to 1.81 and held the opposition to a .115 hitting percentage while converting at a .275 clip on the attack. Baird averaged 3.15 kills and 2.00 blocks per set while hitting .362 on the attack. The Utes had five sweeps and a trio of 3-1 wins during this stretch that lasted from Sept. 25 to Oct. 25.
The stretch is the program's longest win streak since a 25-match tear in 2006 that went from Sept. 3 to Dec. 1 and included 18 3-0 wins and saw the Utes go 16-0 in MWC play.
Two Of A Kind
Haynie and Baird are the first set of Ute teammates to have more than 1,000 career kills at the same time in school history. Baird became the 10th member of Utah's 1,000-kill club Sept. 18, 2008, at then-No. 15 Colorado State. Haynie joined the club as the 11th member during an Oct. 9 against UNLV.
Ute Blockade
Heading into the Oregon match, the Utes were second in the country in blocking. The Utes set a new school record for a three-set match with 37 block assists in a victory at BYU Oct. 17. As of Oct. 26, Baird led the conference and ranked fifth in the nation with 1.55 blocks per set. Baird also ranked eighth in the MWC in kills per set with a 3.01 kill-per-set average. Baird is currently second in school history in total blocks (580) and block assists (534). Toone ranked fourth in the MWC and 18th in the country with 1.36 blocks per set. She is currently third on both the school's career total blocks (573) and block assist lists (521).
Model Of Efficiency
As of Oct. 26, Toone was the most efficient attacker in the MWC and ranked 11th in the nation with a .411 hitting percentage. She is currently third on the team at 155 kills and has made only 30 errors on 316 swings.
It's All In How You Start
In 13 of their 15 victories this season, the Utes have won the first set. Consequently, Utah is 2-5 when it doesn't come up with a first-set victory.
Utah Picked Second In MWC
Utah accumulated 95 points and was picked to finish second in the 2008 MWC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Players Mentioned
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