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The University of Utah Athletics
Friday, December 6
Provo, Utah
4:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Illinois
Volleyball Heads to Provo to Take on Illinois in NCAA Tournament
12/4/2019 12:38 PM | Volleyball
Utes had Their Highest Finish Since Joining the Pac-12
Match 32: No. 17 Utah (22-9, 14-6) vs. Illinois (16-13, 11-9)
Friday, December 6 | 4 p.m. MT
Provo | Smith Fieldhouse
Stream:Â BYU TV
Live Stats
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FIRST SERVE
No. 17 Utah will play in its 16th NCAA Tournament beginning this Friday, December 6 at 4 p.m. against Illinois in the Provo Regional. This is the third time in four years that Utah has been in the Provo Regional.
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Utah enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-9 record after going 14-6 in the Pac-12. Finishing third is the highest in the conference since joining it in 2011.
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Illinois is 16-13 and finished in seventh in the Big Ten after going 11-9. The Utes have a 1-4 record against Illinois, but the last time they played was in 2002.
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Launiere has some ties with Illinois as she got her masters degree in Sport Administration from Illinois and then served as an assistant coach at Illinois (1988-89) prior to coming to Utah. The Illini went 57-12 during Launiere's stay and made it to two NCAA Tournaments, including a 1988 Final Four showing.
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If Utah beats Illinois, they will play the winner of BYU and New Mexico State on Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m.
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TICKET AND FAN BUS INFO
All-session tickets good for all three matches will go on sale Monday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. and can be purchased by calling the ticket office or online at byutickets.com. Starting Friday morning, single-session (single-day) tickets will go on sale.
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There is a fan bus that will be driving down from Salt lake for anyone that would like a ride to Provo. Meet in the Rice Eccles Stadium Parking Lot at 1:30PM with the bus departing for Provo at 2:00 p.m. Food will be provided and will depart from Provo immediately following the match.
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Pending the outcome of the Friday Match, the Bus will be offered again for Saturday night.
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To lock up a spot on the bus, email Angelica Sena at asena@huntsman.utah.edu.
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PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Beth Launiere was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year after guiding Utah to its highest finish in Pac-12 history and most wins with 14.
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This is the fourth time Launiere has been named conference coach of the year as she was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year three times.
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In her 30th season, Launiere guided to the Utes to their 18th 20-win season and to their 16th NCAA Tournament.Â
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ALL-PAC-12 WINNERS
Utah had five players honored by the Pac-12 with two on the All-Pac-12 team, one on the All-Freshman team and two being named honorable mention.
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Dani Drews and Kenzie Koerber are constants on the court for the Utes and were rewarded by being named to the All-Pac-12 Team.
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Drews continued to be tremendous this season totaling 581 kills and is sitting just 11 kills away from matching a single-season record. In conference play, Drews was third overall averaging 4.76 kills per set. She had 14 matches with over 20 kills and two matches with over 30. Against USC, she set a rally-scoring program record with 33 kills while also hitting .348 in the match. Drews also leads the team in aces with 33. This is the second time she's been named to the All-Pac-12 Team.
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Koerber earns her first All-Pac-12 team honor after finishing second on the team in kills with 364 hitting .276. She's also second on the team with 30 service aces. Koerber was honored twice this season with Pac-12 Weekly awards winning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. The junior right side started the season strong by being named the Utah Volleyball Classic MVP after helping Utah go 3-0 in the opening weekend beating two ranked teams. Along with her strong offensive numbers, Koerber has been great on defense as well being third on the team with 100 blocks and second on the team with 290 digs.
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Zoe Weatherington was named to the All-Freshman team after having 268 kills and having 15 matches with double-figure kills.
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Berkeley Oblad and Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres were also honored as each of them was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
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20 WINS
Utah finished the regular season with 22 wins after winning its final three matches over Cal, Oregon State and Colorado. It's the first time the team has had 20 wins since the 2017 season and it's the 18th time in head coach Beth Launiere's tenure that she's led Utah to at least 20 wins.
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Along with having 20 wins, Utah finished 14-6 in the Pac-12 and in third place. The 14 wins and third place finish is the best for Utah since joining the conference in 2011.
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DOEHRMANN MOVES UP RECORD BOOKS
Brianna Doehrmann has moved up the record books this season after posting eight 20-dig matches this season.
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After having 21 digs against Stanford, Doehrmann moved up in second spot for career digs in program history and is approaching the top spot in Utah program history only six digs away from breaking it, currently sitting at 1,603 career digs.
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In 2018, she became the 11th player in program history and 164th player in Pac-12 history that reached the 1,000-career digs mark.
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500 KILLS
For the second season in a row, Dani Drews has eclipsed 500 kills in a single-season. There are only two players in program history that have had over 500 kills in two seasons during their careers and Drews now joins Adora Anae in being the second.
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Drews has stepped up when it mattered most this season having 13 20-kill matches and two 30-kill matches Against USC, she set a program record during the rally-scoring era with 33 kills while hitting .348. The Utes needed every one of them as they came back from a 2-1 deficit to get a big five-set victory over the Trojans on the road.
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Earlier in the season, she surpassed the 1,000-career kill mark against Cal becoming the 17th player in program history to reach the mark.
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Drews leads the Pac-12 in kills with 581 and is second in the conference averaging 4.76 kills per set in Pac-12 matches.
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She's also coming up on a single-season record as she is just 12 kills from breaking the previous mark of 592.
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KA'AHA'AINA-TORRES CONTROLS THE OFFENSE
Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres had 67 assists for the second time this season against USC matching her career high from earlier this season. It's the second most assists in program history and first time a setter has surpassed 60 assists in a match since 2010 and she has now done it twice.
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She is averaging 11.40 assists per set which is 17th in the country.
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The team has hit over .300 in eight matches this season with Ka'aha'aina-Torres leading the offense.
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Along with Doehrmann and Drews, Ka'aha'aina-Torres is closing in on a program record. She has 1,377 assists this season. The single-season record is 1,424 and she is 48 away from setting a new mark.
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Friday, December 6 | 4 p.m. MT
Provo | Smith Fieldhouse
Stream:Â BYU TV
Live Stats
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FIRST SERVE
No. 17 Utah will play in its 16th NCAA Tournament beginning this Friday, December 6 at 4 p.m. against Illinois in the Provo Regional. This is the third time in four years that Utah has been in the Provo Regional.
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Utah enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-9 record after going 14-6 in the Pac-12. Finishing third is the highest in the conference since joining it in 2011.
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Illinois is 16-13 and finished in seventh in the Big Ten after going 11-9. The Utes have a 1-4 record against Illinois, but the last time they played was in 2002.
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Launiere has some ties with Illinois as she got her masters degree in Sport Administration from Illinois and then served as an assistant coach at Illinois (1988-89) prior to coming to Utah. The Illini went 57-12 during Launiere's stay and made it to two NCAA Tournaments, including a 1988 Final Four showing.
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If Utah beats Illinois, they will play the winner of BYU and New Mexico State on Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m.
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TICKET AND FAN BUS INFO
All-session tickets good for all three matches will go on sale Monday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. and can be purchased by calling the ticket office or online at byutickets.com. Starting Friday morning, single-session (single-day) tickets will go on sale.
Â
There is a fan bus that will be driving down from Salt lake for anyone that would like a ride to Provo. Meet in the Rice Eccles Stadium Parking Lot at 1:30PM with the bus departing for Provo at 2:00 p.m. Food will be provided and will depart from Provo immediately following the match.
Â
Pending the outcome of the Friday Match, the Bus will be offered again for Saturday night.
Â
To lock up a spot on the bus, email Angelica Sena at asena@huntsman.utah.edu.
Â
PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Beth Launiere was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year after guiding Utah to its highest finish in Pac-12 history and most wins with 14.
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This is the fourth time Launiere has been named conference coach of the year as she was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year three times.
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In her 30th season, Launiere guided to the Utes to their 18th 20-win season and to their 16th NCAA Tournament.Â
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ALL-PAC-12 WINNERS
Utah had five players honored by the Pac-12 with two on the All-Pac-12 team, one on the All-Freshman team and two being named honorable mention.
Â
Dani Drews and Kenzie Koerber are constants on the court for the Utes and were rewarded by being named to the All-Pac-12 Team.
Â
Drews continued to be tremendous this season totaling 581 kills and is sitting just 11 kills away from matching a single-season record. In conference play, Drews was third overall averaging 4.76 kills per set. She had 14 matches with over 20 kills and two matches with over 30. Against USC, she set a rally-scoring program record with 33 kills while also hitting .348 in the match. Drews also leads the team in aces with 33. This is the second time she's been named to the All-Pac-12 Team.
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Koerber earns her first All-Pac-12 team honor after finishing second on the team in kills with 364 hitting .276. She's also second on the team with 30 service aces. Koerber was honored twice this season with Pac-12 Weekly awards winning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. The junior right side started the season strong by being named the Utah Volleyball Classic MVP after helping Utah go 3-0 in the opening weekend beating two ranked teams. Along with her strong offensive numbers, Koerber has been great on defense as well being third on the team with 100 blocks and second on the team with 290 digs.
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Zoe Weatherington was named to the All-Freshman team after having 268 kills and having 15 matches with double-figure kills.
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Berkeley Oblad and Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres were also honored as each of them was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
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20 WINS
Utah finished the regular season with 22 wins after winning its final three matches over Cal, Oregon State and Colorado. It's the first time the team has had 20 wins since the 2017 season and it's the 18th time in head coach Beth Launiere's tenure that she's led Utah to at least 20 wins.
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Along with having 20 wins, Utah finished 14-6 in the Pac-12 and in third place. The 14 wins and third place finish is the best for Utah since joining the conference in 2011.
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DOEHRMANN MOVES UP RECORD BOOKS
Brianna Doehrmann has moved up the record books this season after posting eight 20-dig matches this season.
Â
After having 21 digs against Stanford, Doehrmann moved up in second spot for career digs in program history and is approaching the top spot in Utah program history only six digs away from breaking it, currently sitting at 1,603 career digs.
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In 2018, she became the 11th player in program history and 164th player in Pac-12 history that reached the 1,000-career digs mark.
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500 KILLS
For the second season in a row, Dani Drews has eclipsed 500 kills in a single-season. There are only two players in program history that have had over 500 kills in two seasons during their careers and Drews now joins Adora Anae in being the second.
Â
Drews has stepped up when it mattered most this season having 13 20-kill matches and two 30-kill matches Against USC, she set a program record during the rally-scoring era with 33 kills while hitting .348. The Utes needed every one of them as they came back from a 2-1 deficit to get a big five-set victory over the Trojans on the road.
Â
Earlier in the season, she surpassed the 1,000-career kill mark against Cal becoming the 17th player in program history to reach the mark.
Â
Drews leads the Pac-12 in kills with 581 and is second in the conference averaging 4.76 kills per set in Pac-12 matches.
Â
She's also coming up on a single-season record as she is just 12 kills from breaking the previous mark of 592.
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KA'AHA'AINA-TORRES CONTROLS THE OFFENSE
Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres had 67 assists for the second time this season against USC matching her career high from earlier this season. It's the second most assists in program history and first time a setter has surpassed 60 assists in a match since 2010 and she has now done it twice.
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She is averaging 11.40 assists per set which is 17th in the country.
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The team has hit over .300 in eight matches this season with Ka'aha'aina-Torres leading the offense.
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Along with Doehrmann and Drews, Ka'aha'aina-Torres is closing in on a program record. She has 1,377 assists this season. The single-season record is 1,424 and she is 48 away from setting a new mark.
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Players Mentioned
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