Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Weber State (Exhibition) on August 15, 2026 at 3:00 P.M.
3:00 P.M.
Volleyball
vs Weber State (Exhibition)
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The University of Utah Athletics
No. 16 Volleyball To Be Tested at Pepperdine Tournament
9/9/2019 6:11 PM | Volleyball
Utes to Take on Pepperdine, No. 6 Pittsburgh and Cal Poly
Match 8: No. 16 Utah (7-0) at Pepperdine (3-3)
Friday, September 13 | 1 p.m. MST
Malibu | Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Utahutes.com
Match 9: No. 16 Utah (7-0) vs. No. 6 Pittsburgh (6-0)
Saturday, September 14 | 11 a.m. MST
Malibu | Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Utahutes.com
Match 10: No. 16 Utah (7-0) vs. Cal Poly (3-3)
Saturday, September 14 | 6 p.m. MST
Malibu | Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Utahutes.com
FIRST SERVE
No. 16 Utah will head to Pepperdine for a challenging non-conference tournament starting on Friday, September 13. First up for the Utes is the Pepperdine Waves. They will face them Friday at 1 p.m.
Then, Utah will play two matches on Saturday and face No. 6 Pittsburgh and Cal Poly.
Pepperdine came into the season receiving votes and is now 3-3. Pittsburgh has yet to lose a set coming into this week and is the ACC favorite coming into the year. The Panthers lost two matches in the 2018 season.
Utah and Cal Poly will play for the second time this season. The first time was in the Utah Volleyball Classic and the Utes won in a tough five-set match.
MAKING PROGRAM HISTORY
Beth Launiere scheduled a tough non-conference schedule to challenge her team and they passed the first test going 3-0 the first weekend against No. 7 Kentucky, No. 23 Cal Poly and Saint Mary's.
It is the first time in program history that Utah has beaten two ranked teams on the opening weekend of the season.
Utah improved upon that opening weekend by going 4-0 in the second week to move their record to 7-0. That's their best start since 2014, when that team began 10-0.
After starting the season 7-0, they are now ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Poll.
BERK IS BACK
After missing most of the 2018 season with an injury, middle Blocker Berkeley Oblad is back for a fifth season.
She only played in six games in 2018, but was named an AVCA All-American honorable mention in 2017 after totaling 300 kills and 142 blocks.
Oblad gives the Utes three All-Americans returning for the 2019 season along with Drews and Koerber.
In her first weekend back on the court, she played like an All-American leading the team with 23.0 blocks. She led the team in all three matches having 8.0, 5.0 and 10.0 blocks in each of the matches. It was the second time in her career she's had 10.0 blocks in a match.
Her fast start at the net has her in reach of a milestone. She is only 2.0 blocks away from career block number 400. She will become the 13th player in Utah Volleyball history to reach that mark.
UTES PLAYING PHYSICAL
Utah has played extremely physical so far this season averaging a Pac-12 best 3.30 blocks per set. They have totaled 76 through the seven matches this season.
The Utes have held every opponent they've played under a .200 hitting percentage. The highest a team has hit is .172 by UC Davis.
UP NEXT
Utah will be back home hosting in-state rival No. 13 BYU on Thursday, September 19 at 6 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.
Friday, September 13 | 1 p.m. MST
Malibu | Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Utahutes.com
Match 9: No. 16 Utah (7-0) vs. No. 6 Pittsburgh (6-0)
Saturday, September 14 | 11 a.m. MST
Malibu | Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Utahutes.com
Match 10: No. 16 Utah (7-0) vs. Cal Poly (3-3)
Saturday, September 14 | 6 p.m. MST
Malibu | Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Utahutes.com
FIRST SERVE
No. 16 Utah will head to Pepperdine for a challenging non-conference tournament starting on Friday, September 13. First up for the Utes is the Pepperdine Waves. They will face them Friday at 1 p.m.
Then, Utah will play two matches on Saturday and face No. 6 Pittsburgh and Cal Poly.
Pepperdine came into the season receiving votes and is now 3-3. Pittsburgh has yet to lose a set coming into this week and is the ACC favorite coming into the year. The Panthers lost two matches in the 2018 season.
Utah and Cal Poly will play for the second time this season. The first time was in the Utah Volleyball Classic and the Utes won in a tough five-set match.
MAKING PROGRAM HISTORY
Beth Launiere scheduled a tough non-conference schedule to challenge her team and they passed the first test going 3-0 the first weekend against No. 7 Kentucky, No. 23 Cal Poly and Saint Mary's.
It is the first time in program history that Utah has beaten two ranked teams on the opening weekend of the season.
Utah improved upon that opening weekend by going 4-0 in the second week to move their record to 7-0. That's their best start since 2014, when that team began 10-0.
After starting the season 7-0, they are now ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Poll.
BERK IS BACK
After missing most of the 2018 season with an injury, middle Blocker Berkeley Oblad is back for a fifth season.
She only played in six games in 2018, but was named an AVCA All-American honorable mention in 2017 after totaling 300 kills and 142 blocks.
Oblad gives the Utes three All-Americans returning for the 2019 season along with Drews and Koerber.
In her first weekend back on the court, she played like an All-American leading the team with 23.0 blocks. She led the team in all three matches having 8.0, 5.0 and 10.0 blocks in each of the matches. It was the second time in her career she's had 10.0 blocks in a match.
Her fast start at the net has her in reach of a milestone. She is only 2.0 blocks away from career block number 400. She will become the 13th player in Utah Volleyball history to reach that mark.
UTES PLAYING PHYSICAL
Utah has played extremely physical so far this season averaging a Pac-12 best 3.30 blocks per set. They have totaled 76 through the seven matches this season.
The Utes have held every opponent they've played under a .200 hitting percentage. The highest a team has hit is .172 by UC Davis.
UP NEXT
Utah will be back home hosting in-state rival No. 13 BYU on Thursday, September 19 at 6 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.
Players Mentioned
MB
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