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Utah Volleyball NCAA Tournament Notes
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Volleyball
November 29, 1998
Overall Record: 20-9 WAC Record: 9-5
Utah Probable Starters: No. Name Yr. Pos. 14 Brooke Barton So. OH 16 Sara Shakula Sr. OH 3 McKelle Stilson Fr. MB 12 Kalani Tonga So. OH 2 Graciela Torres Jr. S 8 Lucie Turkov So. DS or 5 Erin Petersen Sr. MB
THIS WEEK: Utah (20-9, 9-5 WAC) makes its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Utes play Illinois State in the first round on Friday at 5:00 p.m. (CST) at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska, the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Region is the host for the sub-regional. Nebraska will play Morgan State in the other first round match on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (CST). The two winners play on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (CST).
NCAA PACIFIC SUB-REGIONAL AT LINCOLN, NEB. Friday (December 4)
Utah vs. Illinois State 5:00 p.m. (CST)
Nebraska vs. Morgan State 7:30 p.m. (CST)
Saturday (December 5)
Utah/Illinois State vs. Nebraska/Morgan State 7:30 p.m. (CST)
MEDIA TELECONFERENCE: A teleconference with all four of the coaches from the teams participating in the NCAA Pacific Sub-Regional in Lincoln, Neb., will take place on Tuesday. Times and other details will be released on Monday. Contact Mike Lageschulte of the Utah Sports Information Office.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: The Utes are 20-9 overall and finished third in the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division with a 9-5 record.
Last week at the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., Utah defeated TCU 15-11, 15-9, 15-5 in the first round on Tuesday and lost to UNLV 16-14, 15-12, 15-9 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Utah won its last five matches to end the regular season and has won nine of its last 11 overall. This is the third consecutive season in which Utah has won 20 matches and the fourth time it has won 20 matches in the Beth Launiere era, dating back to 1990. Utahs third-place finish in the WAC Pacific Division is its best ever. Utah tied for third place in the WAC Mountain Division in 1996.
Senior outside hitter Kalani Tonga leads the team in kills (4.17) and digs (3.00). Junior middle blocker Stacie Greenwalt is first in hitting efficiency (.286), second in blocks (1.20) and second in kills (2.98). Freshman middle blocker McKelle Stilson is first in blocking (1.29) and second in hitting efficiency (.264). Junior setter Graciela Torres is averaging 12.81 assists and has the third-most aces (0.29). Senior outside hitter Sara Shakula is third on the team in kills (2.92) and second in aces (0.35) Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Barton leads the team in aces (0.43).
PROFILING THE PLAYERS: The Ute volleyball team was well represented as the Western Athletic Conference coaches selected their 1998 postseason award winners on Nov. 17. Three Utah players earned all-conference recognition in the Pacific Division.
Sophomore outside hitter Kalani Tonga was named first-team all-WAC. Tonga, who was named the WAC Mountain Division Freshman of the Year in 1997, put up fantastic numbers once again this year despite switching positions from middle blocker. The Allen, Texas, native ranks fourth in the WAC in kills (4.17 kpg) and seventh in digs (3.00 dpg) this season. Tonga also has 63 blocks, 28 service aces and hit a team-best .272 percentage during the conference season to rank 17th in the WAC.
Ute sophomore Lucie Turkov was named first-team all-WAC defensive specialist. Turkov, a native of Brno, Czech Republic, and a graduate of Taylorsville (Utah) High School, has the third-most digs on the team (2.51 dpg) and 19 aces in 98
Senior outside hitter Sara Shakula was named second-team all-WAC for the third consecutive season. Shakula, raised in Draper, Utah, and a graduate of Skyline High School, has put up respectable numbers despite playing with two herniated disks in her back all season. Shakula ranks 17th in the conference in aces (0.35 sapg) and is third on the team in kills (2.92 kpg). She ranked 20th in the WAC in hitting efficiency (.255) during the league season.
HEAD COACH BETH LAUNIERE: In her ninth season, Beth Launiere is the winningest coach in Utah volleyball history. Launiere has a 157-127 (.553) overall record and a 55-67 (.451) mark in Western Athletic Conference play.
Launiere was named the Utes head coach in 1990, and has since overseen a significant transformation in the Ute volleyball program. The season prior to Launieres appointment, the Utes compiled a meager 1-32 record. Four years later, Launiere guided Utah to a 25-win season, its most successful campaign ever.
The Grand Rapids, Mich., native has led the Utes to four 20-win seasons and five upper-division finishes in the Western Athletic Conference during the last six years, including four in a row. Last year, Launieres Utes posted its all-time best overall winning percentage in school history (.710) by going 22-9, as well as the best winning percentage in WAC play (.643) with a 9-5 mark to place fourth in the WAC Mountain Division. This year, Utah equalled its 97 WAC record and posted its third consecutive 20-win season.
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