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The University of Utah Athletics
Remembering the 2008 Sweet 16 Team
12/7/2018 11:59 AM | Volleyball
One of the Three Teams in Utah VB History to Make Sweet 16
Utah has been one of the most consistent programs in the country under head coach Beth Launiere. They just made their 15th NCAA Tournament advancing to the round of 32.
Out of those 15 appearances, three teams have advanced to the Sweet 16. The first came in 2001 as Utah downed Texas Tech and Utah State in Salt Lake City. The second time came in 2008 and then the latest Sweet 16 team was in 2017.
It's the 10th anniversary of the 2008 team and looking back on that season, what that team did is even more impressive now.
"That 2008 team overcame a lot of team adversity because they were so close off the court," Launiere said. "There were so many people that stepped up at different times. That year I lost my mother three weeks before the season started and that group knew my mom very well. It was a tough preseason for me, but after we lost those two matches, we all came together as a team and they really supported me. We all got on board that we needed to change some things and my mom was part of that conversation. That meant so much to me that our players knew her and talked about her. It was really special that way."
The Utes had been 15-15 in the 2007 season, but the team knew they could have something special going into 2008. The three senior captains Lori Baird, Kathryn Haynie and Emilie Toone were vocal early on with how good the team could be.
"We all shared a common goal that was established well before the season started," Baird said. "During summer workouts prior to the season, we often talked about winning the conference and going far in the NCAA tournament. I remember there was a point during that summer that we as seniors felt something needed to change in our team work ethic if we wanted to accomplish those goals. So one time after a morning summer workout, we called a little team meeting to remind everyone of our goals for the coming season. We talked about how success started "now," in the weight room, with our conditioning, and how important it was to train our minds to be mentally tough."
That meeting set the tone heading into the season. Utah was 7-2 in non-conference play, but they had a tough start to the Mountain West season dropping its first two matches to Colorado State and Wyoming.
"We had some losses early on, particularly our loss at Wyoming, that were a wake-up call and got us talking as a team about what we wanted to accomplish that year," Hanie said. "We talked a lot about accountability and being supportive of each other. Those early losses, as painful as they were, became one of the defining things about that season. We decided together we weren't okay with that type of performance and talked together about what needed to change for us to become more successful."
Those talks and meeting worked, because the team caught fire and closed the regular season by winning 17 of 18 matches. Out of all of wins, one still stands out to Baird and Haynie.
"One of the games I will never forget from that year was the final match of our regular season against Colorado State," Haynie said. "We were playing at home on Crimson Court and it was loud and intense and exciting! It was a hard fought battle, and in the end we won in four sets. What a celebration we had after that win!! We became the regular season MWC champions, and even cut down the net! That was a big confidence building game for us going in to the NCAA tournament."
"It was awesome to see the culmination of all our hard work payoff throughout the season and in our final conference match versus Colorado State," Baird said. "Beating Colorado State, on our home court, in front of family, spiker club members, friends and fans was the perfect finish to four years of hard work and competition on Crimson Court. Colorado State was always a good win, but that win was particularly sweet because not only did we get revenge for having lost a five-set match on their home court (earlier in the season), but the outcome of that game decided our placement in the conference. We celebrated our win and first place victory by cutting down pieces of the volleyball net, to keep as memorabilia of our season as MWC champs."
The Utes rolled right into the NCAA Tournament getting sent to Clemson, South Carolina to take on Furman in the first round. They cruised by the Paladins in straight sets setting up a second round matchup with the home team Clemson Tigers.
Utah's momentum didn't slow down against Clemson as they swept the Tigers securing a Sweet 16 berth.
"I think we went into the first round of the NCAA very optimistic, with what I would describe as quiet confidence," Baird said. "We had confidence in what we had built as a team during the season, but also a lot of respect for the teams we were about to face. Experience had taught us that you could never overlook a team. I remember the talk was always one game at a time, one match at a time. After our first round sweep against Furman, we celebrated but quickly put our focus on our next goal at hand which was beating Clemson on their home court. It wasn't until we got that second round win against Clemson that we let our minds go to "Sweet 16."
The team ended up falling to Washington that next weekend, but making it to that second weekend in the NCAA Tournament is a huge accomplishment.
"What made that team special is that we were all friends and we all had a role," Baird said. "We didn't limit our time together to just practice. We shared weekends, holidays, and even living spaces with each other. Because of this, each person felt part of and knew the importance of TEAM; no one felt themselves more important. We all fell into our unique roles (on and off the court) that contributed to the success of our season."
The Utes finished the season 26-6 with the second most wins in program history and etching their names in the record book making it to the Sweet 16.
Out of those 15 appearances, three teams have advanced to the Sweet 16. The first came in 2001 as Utah downed Texas Tech and Utah State in Salt Lake City. The second time came in 2008 and then the latest Sweet 16 team was in 2017.
It's the 10th anniversary of the 2008 team and looking back on that season, what that team did is even more impressive now.
"That 2008 team overcame a lot of team adversity because they were so close off the court," Launiere said. "There were so many people that stepped up at different times. That year I lost my mother three weeks before the season started and that group knew my mom very well. It was a tough preseason for me, but after we lost those two matches, we all came together as a team and they really supported me. We all got on board that we needed to change some things and my mom was part of that conversation. That meant so much to me that our players knew her and talked about her. It was really special that way."
The Utes had been 15-15 in the 2007 season, but the team knew they could have something special going into 2008. The three senior captains Lori Baird, Kathryn Haynie and Emilie Toone were vocal early on with how good the team could be.
"We all shared a common goal that was established well before the season started," Baird said. "During summer workouts prior to the season, we often talked about winning the conference and going far in the NCAA tournament. I remember there was a point during that summer that we as seniors felt something needed to change in our team work ethic if we wanted to accomplish those goals. So one time after a morning summer workout, we called a little team meeting to remind everyone of our goals for the coming season. We talked about how success started "now," in the weight room, with our conditioning, and how important it was to train our minds to be mentally tough."
That meeting set the tone heading into the season. Utah was 7-2 in non-conference play, but they had a tough start to the Mountain West season dropping its first two matches to Colorado State and Wyoming.
"We had some losses early on, particularly our loss at Wyoming, that were a wake-up call and got us talking as a team about what we wanted to accomplish that year," Hanie said. "We talked a lot about accountability and being supportive of each other. Those early losses, as painful as they were, became one of the defining things about that season. We decided together we weren't okay with that type of performance and talked together about what needed to change for us to become more successful."
Those talks and meeting worked, because the team caught fire and closed the regular season by winning 17 of 18 matches. Out of all of wins, one still stands out to Baird and Haynie.
"One of the games I will never forget from that year was the final match of our regular season against Colorado State," Haynie said. "We were playing at home on Crimson Court and it was loud and intense and exciting! It was a hard fought battle, and in the end we won in four sets. What a celebration we had after that win!! We became the regular season MWC champions, and even cut down the net! That was a big confidence building game for us going in to the NCAA tournament."
"It was awesome to see the culmination of all our hard work payoff throughout the season and in our final conference match versus Colorado State," Baird said. "Beating Colorado State, on our home court, in front of family, spiker club members, friends and fans was the perfect finish to four years of hard work and competition on Crimson Court. Colorado State was always a good win, but that win was particularly sweet because not only did we get revenge for having lost a five-set match on their home court (earlier in the season), but the outcome of that game decided our placement in the conference. We celebrated our win and first place victory by cutting down pieces of the volleyball net, to keep as memorabilia of our season as MWC champs."
The Utes rolled right into the NCAA Tournament getting sent to Clemson, South Carolina to take on Furman in the first round. They cruised by the Paladins in straight sets setting up a second round matchup with the home team Clemson Tigers.
Utah's momentum didn't slow down against Clemson as they swept the Tigers securing a Sweet 16 berth.
"I think we went into the first round of the NCAA very optimistic, with what I would describe as quiet confidence," Baird said. "We had confidence in what we had built as a team during the season, but also a lot of respect for the teams we were about to face. Experience had taught us that you could never overlook a team. I remember the talk was always one game at a time, one match at a time. After our first round sweep against Furman, we celebrated but quickly put our focus on our next goal at hand which was beating Clemson on their home court. It wasn't until we got that second round win against Clemson that we let our minds go to "Sweet 16."
The team ended up falling to Washington that next weekend, but making it to that second weekend in the NCAA Tournament is a huge accomplishment.
"What made that team special is that we were all friends and we all had a role," Baird said. "We didn't limit our time together to just practice. We shared weekends, holidays, and even living spaces with each other. Because of this, each person felt part of and knew the importance of TEAM; no one felt themselves more important. We all fell into our unique roles (on and off the court) that contributed to the success of our season."
The Utes finished the season 26-6 with the second most wins in program history and etching their names in the record book making it to the Sweet 16.
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