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Utes Conclude Regular Season on the Road
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Volleyball
November 23, 1998
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
The Utes are 17-8 overall and in sole possession of third place in the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division with a 7-5 record. Utah has won three straight matches and six of its last eight. Last weekend Utah played its final home matches of the season, defeating San Jose State 15-9, 15-1, 16-14 on Friday and Fresno State 15-12, 15-6, 4-15, 15-12 on Saturday at Crimson Court.
Senior outside hitter Kalani Tonga leads the team in kills (4.54) and digs (3.27). Junior middle blocker Stacie Greenwalt is first in hitting efficiency (.286), second in blocks (1.17) and second in kills (3.01). Freshman middle blocker McKelle Stilson is first in blocking (1.29) and second in hitting efficiency (.261). Junior setter Graciela Torres is averaging 13.01 assists and has the second-most aces (0.33). Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Barton leads the team in aces (0.45).
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
5 Erin Petersen Sr. MB
or
8 Lucie Turkov So. DS
THIS WEEK:Utah (17-8, 7-5 WAC) concludes its regular season on the road. The Utes play UTEP (10-13, 2-10 WAC) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Gym in El Paso, Texas, and New Mexico (9-15, 3-9 WAC) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at University Arena in Albuquerque, N.M.
SHAKULA NAMED WAC PACIFIC DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Sara Shakula, a 6-0 senior outside hitter from Draper, Utah., has been named the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division Player of the Week. Shakula led the Utes to wins over San Jose State and Fresno State last week. In the two matches, Shakula recorded 29 kills (4.14 kpg), 14 digs (2.00 dpg), six service aces (0.86 sapg), two block assists, six assists and hit .390. Against San Jose State, Shakula tied a match-high with 15 kills on 26 attempts and only one error for a .538 hitting percentage. She also added two assists, five service aces, six digs and one block assist. Against Fresno State, she hit .273 (14-5-33) and added four assists, one service ace, eight digs and one block assist.
SCOUTING UTEP:
The Miners are 10-13 overall and tied for seventh place in the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division with 2-10 record. Last Saturday, UTEP lost to New Mexico 15-4, 15-7, 15-3 at home.
Felicia Fahey leads the team in kills (3.04) and is second in digs (2.55). Eryn Polhamus ranks eighth in the WAC in blocks (1.25) and is second on the team in kills (3.00). Setter Veronica Acosta ranks 13th in the conference in assists (10.70). Head coach Norm Brandl has a 358-334 career record in his 23rd season at UTEP.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO:
The Lobos are 9-15 overall and in sixth place in the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division with a 3-9 record. Last Saturday, New Mexico defeated UTEP 15-4, 15-7, 15-3 on the road. New Mexico hosts Brigham Young on Friday.
Amber Smith ranks 16th in the WAC in digs (2.71) and leads the team in kills (3.11). Setter Janelle Torres ranks 11th in the league in assists (11.19). Zhao Lu leads the Lobos in blocks (1.00) and is second in kills (3.00). Head coach Laurel Brassey Iversen has a 244-163 career record in her 14th season at New Mexico.
SERIES SHORTS:
Utah has an all-time record of 21-25 against New Mexico. The Utes won the first meeting this season 15-11, 15-11, 15-6 on Oct. 23 in Salt Lake City. In its last visit to Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 25, 1998, Utah won 14-16, 15-4, 15-8, 15-12.
The Utes lead the all-time series with UTEP 24-2. Utah defeated the Miners 15-12, 15-10, 15-4 on Oct. 24 in Salt Lake City. The last meeting in El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 27, 1998 resulted in a 15-7, 15-13, 15-7 Utah win.
NEXT WEEK:
Utah has assured itself a berth in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, Nov. 24-28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Should the Utes win both matches this week and finish third in the Pacific Division, they will face the Mountain Division's sixth-place team in the first round on Nov. 24 at 1:00 p.m. (PST). The quarterfinals are Nov. 25, followed by the semifinals and the championship match on Nov. 27 and 28.
NET RESULTS:
Sara Shakula led Utah with 15 kills and a .538 hitting percentage in a 15-9, 15-1, 16-14 win last Friday night over San Jose State at Crimson Court. Shakula also had five aces and six digs for the Utes. Equaling Shakula's 15 kills was Kalani Tonga, who also had a match-high 13 digs and three blocks. McKelle Stilson had a match-high nine blocks and six kills. Jen Snow had six kills, while Lucie Turkov had seven digs. Graciela Torres posted 41 assists and seven digs. Utah out hit San Jose State .281 to .117 and had a dominating 11 to four edge in blocks.
Seniors Shakula and Erin Petersen stepped up big in their final home match to lead Utah to a 15-12, 15-6, 4-15, 15-12 win over Fresno State on Saturday night. Shakula's 14 kills and Petersen's 12 on Senior Night led five Utes in double figures. Stilson posted 15 kills. Tonga had 14 kills and 16 digs. Brooke Barton had 10 kills and 10 digs. Petersen also had a .409 hitting percentage and a match-high eight blocks. Torres posted 58 assists and 18 digs. Utah out hit Fresno State .201 to .170 and had an 11 to nine edge in blocking.
HEAD COACH BETH LAUNIERE:
In her ninth season, Beth Launiere is the winningest coach in Utah volleyball history. Launiere has a 154-126 (.550) overall record and a 53-67 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 Launiere's 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 three 20-win seasons and four upper-division finishes in the Western Athletic Conference during the last five years. Last year, Launiere's 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. It was Utah's second-consecutive 20-win season and third-consecutive upper division conference finish.
QUOTING LAUNIERE:
On this week's matches - "We have to go on the road and win two matches this week. This team is playing good volleyball right now. I really like what this team is doing. Our seson goals (of placing third in the division and making the NCAA Tournament) are right in front of us. We have control of our own destiny. I'm going to let up and cut back practice time a little bit this week to keep us fresh for the stretch run. We're playing our best volleyball of the season right now, and I hope we can keep that going."
On last week's matches - "Sara just had a great all around match against San Jose State. Those are the kind of numbers we were used to seeing from her almost on a nightly basis before [she suffered a back injury] this year. San Jose State kind of fell apart after game one, and I knew that once they regrouped game three would be a battle. Our short serve really unsettled them and took them out of their offense in the second game."
"Fresno State is a great team and that was a fun match to play. We've been working on adding different sets to our offense because I thought we were getting a little stagnant offensively. It was nice to see that kind of balance in our offense."
SHAKULA MOVING UP THE CAREER CHARTS:
Sara Shakula, a 6-0 senior outside hitter from Draper, Utah, has played in 118 matches to rank eighth on the Utah career charts and in 414 games to rank sixth. Shakula has an excellent chance to finish high in several career statistical categories. She already ranks third in career kills (1,236) and third in service aces (123) at the U. She needs 17 more kills to move ahead of Sharman Grant (1,252) and into second place. The top mark is owned by Brenda Barton-Whicker (1,565). Shakula needs just 25 more aces to take over second place, currently held by Grant's 147. She also ranks fourth in career attempts (3,055), fifth in block assists (260), sixth in total blocks (279) and 10th in digs (772).
Shakula is also moving up the Western Athletic Conference statistical career charts. She currently ranks ninth in service aces, and needs nine more to take over eighth place from Kristen Walton (131), who played for Colorado State from 1990-93.
TORRES MOVES UP TO SECOND IN CAREER ASSISTS:
Setter Graciela Torres is now in second place in career assists at Utah with 3,455. Torres moved ahead of Katie Tagge's career total of 3,355 with 40 assists against San Diego State on Nov. 8. She is now closing in on Denise Rathburn's all-time record of 3,630 assists, recorded from 1989-92.
Torres has 1,258 assists in 1998, the fifth-most in a single season in Utah history. In just her first season at the U., Torres recorded 1,206 assists to place her sixth on both the the single-season and career charts. She recorded 1,091 assists in 1998, the seventh-most in a single-season at Utah.
TONGA MAKES HER MARK:
Sophomore Kalani Tonga, the 1998 Western Athletic Conference Mountain Division Freshman of the Year and a member of the Volleyball Magazine/Asics All-Freshman Team, splashed onto the scene last season. Tonga ranked seventh in the WAC in blocks (1.22) and sixth in hitting percentage (.327) as a middle blocker. She also set the Utah single-season record for hitting percentage.
This season, Tonga is contending for all-WAC honors once again. Tonga ranks fourth in the WAC in kills (4.24) and fifth in digs (3.12). She has led the Utes in kills in 21 matches this season and has had the team's high mark in digs 14 times.
POWER RANKINGS:
This season, the American Volleyball Coaches Association has teamed up with sports rating guru Jeff Sagarin to produce a Women's Division I Volleyball Power Rating. As of Nov. 11, the WAC had six teams that were ranked among the top 50 in the nation in RPI ratings, which tied for second most by any conference. The Big Ten had nine teams rank among the top 50 while the Big 12 also had six teams. Brigham Young currently ranks fourth while Hawai'i is 11th, followed by Utah (33rd) Colorado State (34th), Wyoming (47th) and Fresno State (48th). As a conference, the WAC ranks fifth out of 32, behind the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Big West.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE:
Once again, Utah has faced challenging opposition in 1998. Five teams on its schedule-two of which it has played twice-were invited to play in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Washington State, which defeated Utah in four games on Sept. 4, made it to the regional semifinals. The Utes faced two more NCAA participants at the Michigan State Invitational, Sept. 18-19. The host Spartans, which defeated Utah in four games, advanced to the second round. Notre Dame, defeated by the Utes in three games, made it to the regional semifinals.
Utah has faced two NCAA Tournament teams, twice each, during the Western Athletic Conference season. Hawai'i received an NCAA bid in '97, but lost in the first round. Brigham Young made it to the regional finals before losing to eventual national runner-up Penn State. Utah lost both of its meetings with Brigham Young in three games and both of its match-ups with Hawai'i in four games.
WAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS:
TeamHitting Efficiency 9th (.202) Kills 6th (16.32) Assists 7th (14.38) Blocking 4th (2.82) Aces 3rd (1.81) Digs 4th (15.89)
Individuals
Hitting Efficiency Stacie Greenwalt 17th (.286) Kills Kalani Tonga 4th (4.24) Assists Graciela Torres 3rd (13.01) Blocking McKelle Stilson 6th (1.29) Stacie Greenwalt 10th (1.17) Aces Brooke Barton 4th (0.45) Graciela Torres 16th (0.33) Sara Shakula 19th (0.31) Digs Kalani Tonga 5th (3.12)
UTAH AGAINST TOP 25 TEAMS:
Utah is 1-6 against ranked teams this season. The Utes lost to No. 22 Washington State in five games on Sept. 4 in WSU's Les Schwab Cougar Challenge. The U. lost to No. 18 Michigan State in three games on Sept. 18 in the Spartan's MSU Invitational, then came back the next day in the tournament to defeat No. 23 Notre Dame in three games. Utah lost Brigham Young, then ranked No. 5, on Oct. 2 in three games. The Utes also lost to the Cougars in three games on Oct. 30, when they were ranked No. 4. The Utes fell to No. 10 Hawai'i in four games on Oct. 9 at Crimson Court. Hawai'i was ranked No. 9 when it defeated Utah in four games in Honolulu on Nov. 6
Louisville, which was not ranked when it lost to the Utes in four games on Sept. 5, has since moved into the USA Today/AVCA Poll Top 25.
WAC PRE-SEASON POLL:
In a survey of the Western Athletic Conference coaches before the season, Utah was picked to place third in the Pacific Division. Utah, competing in the WAC's Pacific Division for the first time in its final season as a league member, garnered 88 points. Brigham Young was picked first, tallying 118 points and 13 first-place votes. Hawai'i claimed the remaining three first-place votes and 105 points to finish second. The Utes were followed by Fresno State in fourth place with 73 points, San Diego State (72), New Mexico (49), San Jose State (37) and UTEP (26).
In the Mountain Division, Colorado State earned 13 first-place votes and totaled 117 points to lead the way. Brigham Young was picked to win the WAC championship over Hawai'i, 13 votes to three.
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO THE MGM GRAND:
For the third straight season, the MGM Grand Garden Arena will play host to the WAC Volleyball Tournament. The championship will be contested, Nov. 24-28, in Las Vegas, with the 5,000-room MGM Grand Hotel serving as the tournament host. Twelve of the 16 WAC teams will compete in the tournament with the top two teams in each division receiving a first-round bye.
The remaining eight teams will play first-round matches on Nov. 24. The four first-round matches will feature Pacific Division #3 vs. Mountain Division #6 at 1:00 p.m.; Mountain Division #4 vs. Pacific Division #5 at 3:00 p.m.; Pacific Division #4 vs. Mountain Division #5 at 6:30 p.m.; and Mountain Division #3 vs. Pacific Division #6 at 8:30 p.m. (All times Pacific.). The quarterfinals will take place, Nov. 25, with the same match times as the first round. The semifinals are slated for Nov. 27, with matches scheduled for 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. The championship match is slated for 3:00 p.m., on Nov. 28. FOX Sports Net will televise the second semi-final match and the championship match live.
All-tournament passes went on sale Sept. 10 for $30. Single-session tickets will be sold the week of the tournament for $8 per session. Tickets can be purchased by calling TicketMaster at (702) 474-4000.
UTAH QUICK FACTS
General Information
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Founded: 1850
Enrollment: 26,183
Nickname: Utes
Colors: Crimson and White
National Affiliation: NCAA Division I
Conference: Western Athletic (WAC)
Division: Pacific
Home Court: Crimson Court (1,500)
President: Dr. J. Bernard Machen
Athletics Director: Dr. Chris Hill
Associate A.D. (SWA): Amy Hackett
Volleyball Staff
Head Coach: Beth Launiere (Aquinas '85)
Record at Utah: 154-126 (.550)/9th Year
Career Record: 154-126 (.550)/9th Year
Assistant Coaches (Alma Mater):
Cory Solomon (Utah '88)
Jamie Young (Utah '98)
Strength Coach: Troy Malson
Trainer: Summer McKeehan
Manager: Jared Jepson
Volleyball Facts
All-Time Record: 387-403 (.490)/24 Years
All-Time WAC Record: 53-67/9 Years
The Launiere File
Year Overall Pct. WAC Pct. Finish 1990 7-21 .250 0-10 .000 6th 1991 15-20 .429 3-9 .250 6th 1992 18-15 .545 3-11 .231 7th 1993 25-11 .694 7-7 .500 4th 1994 16-13 .552 7-7 .500 5th-T 1995 14-17 .452 7-7 .500 4th 1996 20-12 .625 10-6 .635 3rd-T* 1998 22-9 .710 9-5 .643 4th* 1998 17-8 .680 7-5 .583 Totals 154-126 .550 53-67 .441* Division finish
WAC Standings
Pacific Div. WAC Pct. Over. Pct. 1. Hawai'i 11-1 .917 24-2 .923 2. Brigham Young 11-1 .917 24-2 .923 3. UTAH 7-5 .583 17-8 .680 4. Fresno State 6-6 .500 17-8 .680 5. San Jose State 6-6 .500 18-9 .667 6. New Mexico 3-9 .250 9-15 .375 7. UTEP 2-10 .167 10-13 .435 8. San Diego State 2-10 .167 5-20 .200Mountain Div. WAC Pct. Over. Pct. 1. Colorado State 11-1 .917 22-5 .815 2. UNLV 9-3 .750 20-7 .741 3. Wyoming 9-3 .750 14-12 .538 4. Rice 8-4 .667 20-9 .690 5. SMU 5-7 .417 14-14 .500 6. TCU 3-9 .250 6-21 .222 7. Air Force 2-10 .167 9-15 .375 8. Tulsa 1-11 .083 9-15 .375
PLAYER PROFILES
School Records Broken
Individual Match Records
Hitting Effic. .833 Stacie Greenwalt
(vs. New Hampshire, 8-19-98)
.813 McKelle Stilson (13-0-16)
(vs. San Jose State 10-17-98)
Block Assists 11 McKelle Stilson
(3 games) (vs. San Diego State, 10-10-98)
Total Blocks 11 McKelle Stilson
(3 games) (vs. San Diego State, 10-10-98)
Team Match Records
Kills (4 games) 92 vs Idaho State, 9-1-98
Series Records
Utah trails Fresno State in the all-time series 7-3. The Bulldogs won the first meeting this season 15-10, 15-12, 11-15, 14-16, 15-12 on Oct. 16 in Fresno, Calif. Prior to that match, the two teams hadn't met since the 1995 season, when the Utes lost in three games on Oct. 5 in Fresno, Calif., and won in four games on Nov. 10 in Salt Lake City.
The Utes have won two of the three matches in their series with San Jose State. Utah took the first match this season, winning 15-10, 15-10, 15-5 on Oct. 17 in San Jose, Calif. Utah has lost all five if its previous meetings with Hawai'i. The Rainbow Wahine took the first match of the season series 15-10, 15-11, 7-15, 15-4 on Oct. 9 in Salt Lake City. The two teams met last year in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Nov. 25, with UH winning 8-15, 15-10, 13-15, 15-12, 15-8.
The Utes trail San Diego State in the all-time series 13-3. Utah won the first meeting this season 15-3, 16-14, 15-5 on Oct. 10 in Salt Lake City. Before that match, the two teams had not met since the 1995 season, when the Aztecs swept the Utes on Oct. 6 in San Diego and won in five games on Nov. 11 in Salt Lake City.
Utah trails Brigham Young in the all-time series 47-6. Brigham Young took the first meeting this season, winning 15-3, 15-10, 15-1 on Oct. 2 at Crimson Court.
Last season, the Cougars swept the Utes in both meetings, winning 15-11, 15-11, 17-15 on Oct. 17 in Provo, Utah, and 15-4, 15-9, 15-3 on Nov. 14 in Salt Lake City. Utah's last win over BYU was a three-game sweep on Sept. 22, 1995 in Salt Lake City.
Brooke Barton - 14
OH * 5-10 * So.-RS * 1L
Farmington, Utah (Davis HS)
1998: Was projected as a starter before tearing the ACL in her left knee on Aug. 18 in pre-season workouts ... is sitting out the season as a redshirt ... will return next season with three years of eligibility remaining.
Barton's Career Bests
Kills 5 vs. TCU (11/9/96) Digs 11 vs. Boise State (8/31/96) Blocks 6 vs. Brigham Young (10/2996) Service Aces 3 (Three Times)Brenda Barton-Whicker - 15
OH * 6-0 * Sr. * 3L Farmington, Utah (Davis HS)
Career Notes: Became Utah's all-time leader in kills with 17 against Southwest Texas State on Sept. 13 to eclipse the former mark of 1,252 held by Sharman Grant ... also became Utah's all-time leader in service aces with 5 against UNLV on Oct. 10, bettering Grant's mark of 147.
1998: Has started in all 18 matches and 64 games ... named the WAC Mountain Division Player of the Week on Monday ... for the week, Barton-Whicker hit .400 (29-5-60), averaging 4.8 kills per game ... also added five service aces, 21 digs and seven total blocks ... in Utah's win over UNLV on Oct. 10, she had a match-high 17 kills, a .517 hitting percentage as well as seven digs and five total blocks. She also registered five service aces to break the Utah career record ... named the AVCA National Player of the Week and Western Athletic Conference Mountain Division Player of the Week on Sept. 15 ... named the MVP of the Utah Classic (Sept. 12-13), recording 53 kills on 114 attempts for a .333 hitting percentage in 12 games in the tournament ... also added 2 assists, 5 service aces, 54 digs and 17 total blocks ... named to the all-tournament team of the Utah State Invitational ... career-best 34 digs against Weber State (Sept. 12), setting the Utah five-game match record ... season-best 24 kills and .380 hitting percentage (24-5-50) against Weber State ... double-figure kills in 14 matches ... 19 kills against Idaho on Sept. 3 ... 3 service aces against both Idaho and Purdue ... double-figure digs in 12 matches ... 17 digs against Utah State on Sept. 20.
Barton's Career Bests
Kills 28 vs. SMU (10/12/96) Digs 34 vs. Weber State (9/12/97) Service Aces 7 vs. Brigham Young (9/22/96)
Stacie Greenwalt - 10
MB * 6-1 * So. * 1L-RS
Hardin, Mont. (Hardin HS)
1998: Has played in all 18 matches and in 63 of 64 games ... career-best 16 kills and hit .433 (16-3-30) at New Mexico on Sept. 25 ... also had five blocks against the Lobos ... career-best 9 blocks against Purdue on Sept. 13 ... career-best 6 digs against Weber State on Sept. 12 ... double-figure kills in 11 matches ... 14 kills and hit .500 against No. 20 Colorado State on Oct. 4 ... 13 kills and hit .522 against Air Force on Oct. 11 ... 13 kills and hit .478 (13-2-23) against Idaho on Sept. 3 ... season-best hitting percentage of .600 (11-2-15) against Purdue ... 5 digs against Idaho State (Sept. 16) ... 7 blocks against Montana State on Sept. 19.
Greenwalt's Career Bests
Kills 16 vs. New Mexico (9/25/97) Digs 6 vs. Weber State (9/12/97) Blocks 9 vs. Purdue (9/13/97)Erin Petersen - 5
MB * 6-1 * Jr. * TR
Laramie, Wyo. (Casper College)
1998: Has seen limited playing time this year ... played in 6 matches and 8 games ... career-best 4 kills and hit .600 (4-1-5) against Portland in the Utah State Invitational on Sept. 20 ... career-best 2 blocks against Gonzaga (Sept. 6) and Idaho State (Sept. 16)
Petersen's Career Bests
Kills 4 vs. Portland (9/20/97) Digs 1 vs. UNLV (10/10/97) Blocks 2 (Two Times) Service Aces 1 vs. Idaho State (9/16/97)Sara Shakula - 16
OH * 5-11 * Jr. * 2L
Draper, Utah (Skyline HS)
1998: Has played in all 18 matches and 64 games ... named the MVP of the Utah State Invitational (Sept. 19-20) ... during the three matches of the tournament and against Idaho State (Sept. 16), had 52 kills, hit .369 (52-11-111), had 12 service aces, 41 digs and 13 total blocks ... career-best 5 service aces with 14 kills and a .458 hitting percentage (14-3-24) against Wyoming on Oct. 1 ... 4 service aces against both Utah State (Sept. 20) and UTEP (Sept. 27) ... double-figure kills in 13 matches ... season-best 20 kills, 15 digs and 5 blocks against Weber State on Sept. 12 ... also had 15 digs and 5 blocks against Montana State on Sept. 19 ... double-figure digs in six matches ... 18 kills against Utah State.
Shakula's Career Bests
Kills 26 vs. UTEP (11/23/96) Digs 17 (Two Times) Blocks 6 vs San Diego State (11/11/95) Service Aces 5 vs. Wyoming (10/1/97)Jen Snow - 4
OH * 6-0 * Fr. * HS
Salt Lake City (Highland HS)
1998: Played in all 18 matches and 58 of the 64 games ... helped make up for the loss of Jamie Young earlier in the season ... career-best 16 kills and 18 digs against Weber State on Sept. 12 ... 13 kills and a career-best hitting percentage of .370 (13-3-27) against Montana State on Sept. 19 ... 12 kills, 13 digs and hit .391 against Air Force on Oct. 11 ... 8 kills against and 15 digs at Idaho (Sept. 3) ... 10 digs against Southwest Texas State (Sept. 13) ... career-best 2 service aces against Idaho, Gonzaga, Weber State, Montana State and Air Force.
Snow's Career Bests
Kills 16 vs. Weber State (9/12/97) Digs 18 vs. Weber State (9/12/97) Blocks 4 (Two Times) Service Aces 2 (Five Times)McKelle Stilson - 3
MB * 6-1 * Fr. * HS
Orangeville, Utah (Emery HS)
1998: Has not played this year and is likely to redshirt.
Kalani Tonga - 12
MB/OH * 6-0 * Fr. * HS
Allen, Texas (Allen HS)
1998: Started all 18 matches and played in all 64 games ... double-figure kills in 12 matches ... career-best 20 kills, 11 blocks and hit .326 against No. 20 Colorado State on Oct. 4 ... 16 kills in back-to-back matches against Purdue (Sept. 13) and Idaho State (Sept. 16) ... season-best hitting percentage of .583 (16-2-24) against Purdue ... career-best 11 blocks and 14 kills against Weber State on Sept. 12 ... 10 block assists against Weber State tied the Utah five-game match record ... had two great matches to open up the WAC season ... 14 kills, a .478 hitting percentage (14-3-23) and 7 digs at New Mexico on Sept. 25 ... 12 kills, a .478 hitting percentage (12-1-23), 7 digs and 4 blocks at UTEP on Sept. 27 ... also had 12 kills and 9 blocks against Wyoming on Oct. 1 ... named to the all-tournament team at the Utah Classic (Sept. 12-13) and the Utah State Invitational (Sept. 19-20)
Tonga's Career Bests
Kills 20 vs. Colorado State (10/4/97) Digs 13 vs. Montana State (9/19/97) Blocks 11 (Two Times) Service Aces 3 vs. New Mexico (9/25/97)
Graciela Torres
S * 5-8 * So. * 1L
Santa Rosa, Calif. (Ursaline HS)
1998: Has played in 17 matches and 56 of the 64 games ... season-high 60 assists in four games against Weber State on Sept. 12 ... career-best 9 blocks and 55 assists against No. 20 Colorado State on Oct. 4 ... 50 assists against both Southwest Texas State (Sept. 13) and Utah State (Sept. 20) in four-game wins for the Utes ... season-best 7 kills and a .700 hitting percentage (7-0-10) at New Mexico on Sept. 27 ... double-figure digs in five matches ... season-best 14 digs against Washington State (Sept. 5) and Utah State (Sept. 20) ... season-best five block assists against Weber State and Purdue (Sept. 13) ... named to the all-tournament team at the Utah Classic.
Torres' Career Bests
Kills 8 vs. Hawai'i (11/1/96) Assists 64 vs. Rice (11/12/96) Digs 19 vs. Santa Clara (9/21/96) Blocks 9 vs. Colorado State (10/4/97) Aces 5 vs. Tulsa (10/18/96)
Lucie Turkov - 8
S/OH * 5-9 * Fr. * HS
Brno, Czech Republic (Taylorsville HS)
1998: Has played in all 18 matches and 62 of the 64 games as a setter and defensive specialist ... has helped fill the void created by the loss of Brooke Barton ... started the match against UNLV on Oct. 10, setting a career-best mark with 48 assists ... started against Gonzaga (Sept. 6) at setter, recording a career-best 37 assists ... also had a career-best 5 blocks and 3 service aces against Gonzaga ... career-best 12 digs against Colorado State on Oct. 4 ... career-best 3 kills against Notre Dame on Sept. 6 ... took over at setter mid-way through the match against Notre Dame, posting 21 assists ... also had a career-best 3 service aces against Idaho and a career-best 7 digs against Montana.
Turkov's Career Bests
Kills 3 vs. Notre Dame (9/6/97) Digs 12 vs. Colorado State (10/4/97) Assists 48 vs. UNLV (10/10/97) Blocks 5 vs. Gonzaga (9/6/97) Service Aces 3 (Two Times)
Jamie Young - 6
OH * 6-2 * Sr. * 3L
West Valley, Utah (Hunter HS)
1998: Has played in 17 of the 18 matches and 61 of the 64 games ... broke her nose in preseason workouts this fall and was required to have surgery ... missed the first match of the year against Colorado ... has not sat out an entire game since then ... did not start playing in the front row until the Weber State match on Sept. 12 ... double-figures in digs in seven matches ... season-best 16 digs against Montana State on Sept. 19 ... 15 digs in WAC opener at New Mexico ... also had 4 kills in 14 attempts against the Lobos ... 11 digs, 7 kills and a .636 hitting percentage (7-0-11) against Wyoming ... season-best 6 kills in 18 attempts and 12 digs against Southwest Texas State ... season-best 2 service aces against Notre Dame and Idaho State.
Young's Career Bests
Kills 14 (Two Times) Assists 34 vs. Weber State (10/31/95) Digs 20 vs. UTEP (11/23/96) Blocks 7 vs. Santa Clara (9/21/95)
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Urban Meyer
Wednesday, September 17
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Keith Kelley, voice of the Wyoming Cowboys
Tuesday, September 09
Utah Volleyball's Kamryn Gibadlo - ESPN+ Feature
Tuesday, September 09
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Ron McBride
Wednesday, September 03