Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Weber State (Exhibition) on August 15, 2026 at 3:00 P.M.
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The University of Utah Athletics
No. 17 Utes Open 2009 Campaign Hosting Utah Classic
8/24/2009 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 24, 2009
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SALT LAKE CITY - After what turned out to be a busy offseason for Utah volleyball, the Utes enter the 35th season in program history nine wins away from giving 20th-year head coach Beth Launiere 400 victories in her career. Reigning MWC champion and NCAA Regional semifinalist Utah enters this season with a preseason No. 17 AVCA ranking.
The Utes begin their season with a trio of matches in the Utah Classic this weekend at Crimson Court. In the season opener for both teams, Utah hosts Arizona State Friday at 7 p.m. The Utes conclude their home tournament with a pair of matches Saturday, beginning with UC-Riverside at 10 a.m., then Cincinnati at 7 p.m. In other Utah Classic action, Cincinnati faces UC-Riverside Friday at 5 p.m. The Bearcats take on the Sun Devils Saturday at 12 p.m., then ASU plays UC-Riverside at 5 p.m.
Fans can tune into Dan Clayton's play-by-play call by clicking on the `Live Audio' link on utahutes.com. Live stats can be viewed by following the `Gametracker' link. Also please be sure to follow Utah Volleyball on Twitter at http://twitter.com/utahvolleyball and the Utah Volleyball Blog at http://utahvolleyball.blogspot.com.
Utes in the Polls
Utah was ranked 17th in the 2009 AVCA Coaches Top-25 Preseason Poll. The Utes have five matches against teams ranked in the top 25 during the regular season, beginning Sept. 12 at No. 25 Santa Clara. Utah hosts No. 14 Oregon Sept. 15 and travels to No. 23 Long Beach State for a Nov. 28 match. Colorado State was the other Mountain West Conference team to be ranked in the top 25 as the Rams were ranked 25th.
The Utes also have two matches against schools that were listed as receiving votes in the poll, Cal Poly (Sept. 1) and Arizona (Sept. 11). Utah appeared in Volleyball Magazine's preseason poll at 19th.
Utes Picked to Win MWC
Utah was selected to repeat as MWC champions in the 2009 Preseason Coaches Poll voted on by a panel including the nine conference head coaches and selected media. In addition, junior opposite hitter and co-captain Karolina Bartkowiak (Aurora, Ill./Wroclaw, Poland) was named to the Preseason All-MWC Team.
Launiere Nears Coaching Milestone
As the fifth coach in school history, Launiere has compiled a 391-212 (.648) mark in 19 seasons at Utah, the only school in which she has been head coach. After taking over in 1990, the three-time AVCA West Region and MWC Coach of the Year has 63 percent of the program's victories over the first 34 seasons.
Going International
Launiere was selected as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team at the premier annual women's international tournament, the 2009 FIVB World Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Miao Li. Sophomore setter Abby Simmons (Phoenix, Ariz.) played with the BIP/USA Development team in Pula, Croatia.
For Starters
Launiere is 7-3 when starting a season at Crimson Court since 2000 and is 11-8 in openers overall. The Utes are 16-18 all-time in season-opening matches. Utah's all-time record in its first home match of the season is 18-16.
Doyon Joins Ute Coaching Staff
Brian Doyon was named Utah's new assistant volleyball coach last spring. Doyon joins Heather Olmstead, who was promoted to lead assistant coach.
2008 in Review
Utah volleyball went 26-6 overall and made its second NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance in school history. The Utes won their sixth overall MWC title in school history with a 14-2 league record to claim the crown by two matches over CSU. Former Ute Lori Baird was named the MWC Co-Player of the Year, while Launiere was the MWC and AVCA West Region Coach of the Year.
Last Time at the Utah Classic
The Utes went 2-1 last season at the Utah Classic, earning sweeps over in-state rival Utah State and Saint Louis. Utah's lone loss of the tournament came at the hands of then-No. 15 Purdue, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-19, 15-12), which was the Utes' lone loss on Crimson Court in 2008. Baird and Emillie Toone were selected to the all-tournament team.
Scouting the Utah Classic Field
Arizona State (13-18, 4-14 Pac-10 in 2008): The Sun Devils welcome back three starters, including senior setter Marina Mercer, junior outside hitter Sarah Reaves and junior libero Sarah Johnson. Reaves led ASU last season with 4.14 kills per set and Mercer posted 10.35 assists per set. The Sun Devils were 3-9 on the road last year. ASU leads the all-time series, 9-2.
UC-Riverside (8-23, 3-13 Big West in 2008): The Highlanders were picked ninth in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll entering their first season under head coach Ron Larsen, former USA Men's National Team assistant coach. UCR finished 2-11 in away matches last season. Saturday morning's meeting will be the first between the schools.
Cincinnati (27-7, 12-2 BIG EAST in 2008): Defending BIG EAST Conference champion Cincinnati has aspirations to repeat as BIG EAST champions as four returning starters plus libero Jamie Frey return to the Bearcat lineup. Junior outside hitter Stephanie Niemer pounded down a team-high 3.26 kills per set last season and setter Annie Fesl returns after distributing 10.98 assists per set. Saturday night's match will be the first all-time meeting between the programs. The Utes are 5-6 all-time against current BIG EAST schools.
Players Mentioned
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