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Utah Volleyball To Host NCAA Tournament
11/28/2001 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 28, 2001
Salt Lake City -
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COMING UP: The University of Utah volleyball team received its first-ever bid to host the 2001 NCAA First & Second Round Tournament on Nov. 29-30 at Crimson Court in Salt Lake City. On Thurs., Nov. 29, Utah State (19-10 overall) and Brigham Young (20-8 overall) will match up at 6:00 p.m. The Utes (23-6 overall), seeded No. 14 nationally, will play the late match, facing Texas Tech (18-13 overall) at 8:00 p.m. On Fri., Nov. 30, the second-round match will begin at 7:00 p.m.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: The Utes are currently 23-6 overall, and finished with an 11-3 Mountain West Conference record. Last week, the Utes defeated Fairfield in a five-game (24-30, 30-19, 27-30, 30-23, 15-7), come from behind battle to clinch third place at the Banker's Classic, on Sat., Nov. 24 in Stockton, Calif. Utah lost to Hawaii, 3-2 (24-30, 30-19, 27-30, 30-23, 15-7), on Fri., Nov. 23 in Stockton, Calif. Utah finished the regular-season in second-place in the MWC. The second-place finish is the highest finish ever in the Launiere era. Utah recorded its sixth-consecutive and 12th overall 20-win season. The Utes' 23-6 overall record marks the best win-loss percentage (.793) in school history. Head coach Beth Launiere hit the 225 career win mark in the MWC tournament championship, with a 3-2 win over then-No. 8-ranked Colorado State.
The 13th-ranked Utes will be making their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance after earning the MWC automatic bid by winning the conference tournament on Nov. 17. Utah, 3-3 overall in NCAA Tournaments, would meet BYU for the fourth time this season if both teams win their respective NCAA First Round matches. The Utes open against Texas Tech for the second straight year. Last season, Utah held on for a five-game win in the NCAA First Round vs. the Red Raiders. The Utes defeated Texas Tech in Salt Lake City earlier this season in four games and hold an all-time series lead of 7-2. Utah is familiar with its potential NCAA Second Round match-up after defeating Utah State once and BYU twice during the 2001 season.
Possible starters for the Utes in the NCAA Tournament are: McKelle Stilson (Sr., MB), Kelsie Kartchner (Fr., S) or Jackie Morrill (So., S/DS), Lenka Urbanov? (Sr., OH), Sylva Strzinkov? (Jr., OH), Katrena Ellett (Jr., OH/MB), Alisa Geddes (Sr., OH), Kim Turner (So., MB) and Adrianne Bradley-Drake (Sr., MB/OH).
The Utes return four starters, 10 letterwinners and add three true freshmen, along with two transfers to this year's roster. Utah moved into the No. 13 spot in the Nov. 19 USA Today/AVCA Top-25 poll. The Utes have been ranked for 13 consecutive weeks. The No. 13 ranking in the Nov. 19th poll is the highest-ever ranking for the Utah volleyball program.
UTES ON THE RADIO: Utah's match with Texas Tech on Thurs., Nov. 29 at 8:00 p.m. can be heard by tuning into KALL-910 AM. The match will be broadcasted in-progress. If Utah advances to the second-round, Friday's match at 7:00 p.m. can be heard live on KALL-910 AM.
Kent Rupe will do the play-by-play and Lynda Byington will provide the color commentary.
NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET: The NCAA announced the 64-team field for the 2001 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship on Mon., Nov. 26. Thirty-one conferences were awarded automatic qualification, and the remaining 33 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket.
The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. Team pairings were determined by geographical proximity, with the exception that teams from the same conference were not paired during the first round. First- and second-round matches will be played at 16 campus sites.
REGIONAL 3, November 29-30 at Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 29 (First Round Matches) Match #1: Utah State (18-11) vs. Brigham Young (20-8), 6:00 p.m. (MST) Crimson Court, Match #2: Texas Tech (18-13) at Utah (23-6), 8:00 p.m. (MST) Crimson Court, Nov. 30 (Second Round Match), Winner of match #1 vs. Winner of match #2, 7:00 p.m. (MST) Crimson Court.
DIRECTIONS TO CRIMSON COURT: Located on campus northeast of the Huntsman Center. From Salt Lake City International Airport, exit airport onto I-80 East. Take the North Temple exit. At 300 West, turn right. Turn left onto 400 South, which will eventually turn into 500 South. Continue heading east until you come to the Guardsman Way/Campus Center Drive intersection, then turn left. Take a quick right at the three-way intersection onto South Campus Drive. Proceed east in front of the south side of the Jon M. Huntsman Center (silver dome) and take the first left. Then proceed past the east side of the Huntsman Center and park in the lots off to the right (Annex Parking Lot). Crimson Court is located on the lower level of the HPER-East building (northeast of the Huntsman Center).
From I-15 North, take the 600 North exit. Turn left on 600 North. Turn right at 300 West. Turn left on 400 South, which will eventually turn into 500 South. (follow above directions from this point).
NCAA TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION: All-Tournament Package: Adults $10.00, Youth $4.00, Student/Seniors $6.00. Single Session Adults: $6.00, Youth $3.00, Student/Seniors $5.00
Tickets can be purchased by calling the University of Utah Athletics Ticket Office at 801-581-UTIX.
NCAA TOURNAMENT TELECASTS: NCAA Productions will also produce two of the four regional finals on the weekend of December 7 - December 9, which will air live on CNN/SI. The broadcasts on CNN/SI will mark the first ever NCAA championship broadcast on CNN/SI. The potential match-ups and exact air dates and times will be determined after the second round is completed on December 2.
The 21st NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship concludes in San Diego, California, on December 13 and December 15. ESPN2 will air the first semifinal tape delay on December 14 at 11 a.m. Eastern time. ESPN will air the second semifinal tape delay on December 14 at 3 p.m. Eastern time. ESPN2 will carry the national championship game live on December 15 at 3 p.m. Eastern time. ESPN2 currently reaches over 81 million households while ESPN reaches over 84 million households. Veteran college volleyball announcers Chris Marlowe and Heather Cox will call the action for ESPN.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PRACTICE SCHEDULE: Wednesday's (Nov. 28) practice will be open to the media and public. All practices on Thurs.-Fri., Nov. 29-30 will be closed to the media and public. Practice times for Wed., Nov. 28 are as follows: 1:00 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. Utah State, 2:35 p.m.- 4:05 p.m. UTAH, 5:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. Brigham Young, 7:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. Texas Tech. Practice times for Thurs., Nov. 29 are as follows: 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Utah State, 12:05 p.m.- 1:05 p.m. Brigham Young, 1:10 p.m.- 2:10 p.m. Texas Tech, 2:15 p.m.- 3:15 p.m. UTAH. Practice times for Fri., Nov. 30 are as follows: 12:00 p.m.- 1:00 p.m. Winner of Match #1, 1:05 p.m.- 2:05 p.m. Winner of Match #2. Utah players and head coach Beth Launiere will be available for interviews before and after practice on Wednesday only.
NCAA TOURNAMENT POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS: Post-match interviews will be conducted in the media interview room after a cooling-off period, 5-minutes for the winning team and 15-minutes for the losing team. Beth Launiere and at least two players will be available in the interview room. The winning coach and student-athletes will be escorted to the interview room first, the losing coach and student-athletes will follow at the conclusion of the first interview session. Only individuals with appropriate credentials will be allowed in the media interview room. Each interview session will be a maximum of 15 minutes.
QUOTING LAUNIERE: On hosting the NCAA 1st & 2nd Rounds: "I'm really excited for our program. Hosting the NCAAs will give us a better chance of making it to the 'Sweet 16.' I'm so excited because we've never hosted before in the history of Utah volleyball and it's going to be great." (On facing Texas Tech in the first round): "We played them earlier in the year and last season in the first round of the NCAAs. We know how they play, but it seems like its been such a long time since we've faced them. We'll go back to the office, do our scouting and prepare the team as best as we can."
SERIES SHORTS: Utah leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 7-2. In their last meeting on Sept. 1, 2001, Utah defeated Texas Tech, 3-1, (30-15, 23-30, 30-28, 30-24) in Salt Lake City. Utah is 1-1 at home, 1-0 away and 5-1 at a neutral site vs. the Red Raiders. Utah leads the all-time series with Utah State, 36-22. In their last meeting on Oct. 23, 2001, Utah shut-down the Aggies, 3-1 (22-30, 30-28, 30-27, 30-20) in Salt Lake City. The Utes are 15-10 at home, 14-8 away and 7-4 at a neutral site vs. Utah State. Brigham Young leads the all-time series with Utah dating back to 1970, 61-9. In their last meeting, Utah defeated BYU in four games, 30-27, 25-30, 32-30, 30-25, Fri., Nov. 16, in the second semifinal match of the 2001 Mountain West Conference Tournament. It was the first time in the history of the MWC that BYU didn't advanced to the title game. Utah out-blocked BYU 13-10 in only its second win all-time at the Smith Fieldhouse. The Utes are 7-19 at home, 2-30 away and 0-12 at a neutral site vs. the Cougars.
SCOUTING TEXAS TECH: The Texas Tech volleyball team is 18-13 overall, 9-11 in the Big 12 Conference. Kelly Johnson leads the Red Raiders, averaging 3.79 kills per game for a .206 hitting percentage and 2.22 digs per game. Teammate Yolanda Cumbess averages 3.43 kills per game for a .358 hitting percentage, while Melissa McGehee totals 3.35 kills per game and 3.35 digs per game. Skydra Orzen posts 14.04 assists per game and 2.49 digs per game. As a team, Texas Tech averages 16.76 kills per game for a .200 hitting percentage, 15.30 assists per game, 1.26 service aces per game, 17.43 digs per game and 1.67 blocks per game.
Jeff Nelson enters his seventh year at the helm of the Red Raider volleyball program. He has accumulated a 134-67 record at Texas Tech.
SCOUTING UTAH STATE: The Utah State Aggies are currently 19-10 overall, 12-6 in conference play. Utah State individual leaders this season include Chelsi Neves, who averages 12.14 assists per game and has a team-best .388 hitting percentage as well as Lisa Borom, who leads the team with 3.60 kills per game and Erin Cartwright, who averages 3.34 kills per contest. Michelle Matheson has a hitting percentage of .310, the second best mark on the team, and leads the squad with 1.05 blocks per game. Of USU's 10 losses this year, nine were at the hands of ranked teams, while the Aggies defeated two ranked teams on the year in BYU and Pacific. USU was 8-3 in its last 11 matches with the three losses coming at then 17th-ranked Pacific as well as twice to top-ranked Long Beach State. Head coach Burt Fuller is in his first year at Utah State.
SCOUTING BRIGHAM YOUNG: The No. 19 ranked BYU Cougars ended the regular-season in third-place in the MWC. BYU is currently 20-8 overall, 10-4 in the MWC. Nina Puikkonen leads the team, averaging 4.23 kills per game for a .298 hitting percentage and 2.28 digs per game and 1.60 blocks per game. Karina Puikkonen adds 1.49 kills per game, 12.70 assists per game and 1.90 digs per game. Natalie Whittaker leads the team defensively, totaling 2.98 digs per game. Second all-time in Division I victories, head coach Elaine Michaelis has guided her teams to an 867-216-5 (.799) mark over the past 32 years since records were first kept at BYU beginning in 1969.
UTAH TOURNAMENT TID-BITS: Utah is 118-229 (.340) all-time against the other 63 teams in the field. This season, the Utes went 10-6 (.625) against teams they played that made the tournament. There are 22 teams in the field that Utah has never faced. They are: Alabama A&M, American, Arkansas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida A&M, Florida Intl, Georgia Southern, Kansas State, Liberty, Missouri, North Carolina, Northeastern, Ohio State, Oral Roberts, Pennsylvania, Robert Morris, South Carolina, William and Mary, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Xaiver.
UTES AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Utah has started a great NCAA tradition. They are 3-3 (.500) overall in the NCAAs. After qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1998, the Utes advanced to the second round. Last year, they made a repeat visit to the tournament with identical results. The Utes were the No. 8 seed in the West Region which was played in Honolulu, Hawaii on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Utah defeated Texas Tech, 3-2 (6-16, 15-8, 2-15, 15-10, 15-12) in the first round the tourney. The Utes lost to its host Hawaii, 3-0 (12-15, 8-15, 8-15) in the second round.
In 1999, Utah, seeded No. 9 in the Mountain Region, defeated eighth seeded Colorado in three games (15-10, 15-6, 17-15) in the first round and lost to top-seeded Hawaii in three games (15-11, 15-6, 15-4) in the second round of the NCAA sub-regional in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1998, the Utes received an at large bid as the eighth seed in the Pacific Region. Utah defeated ninth-seeded Illinois State in three games (15-11, 15-12, 15-5) in the first round and lost to top-seeded Nebraska in four games (14-16, 15-4, 15-8, 15-9) in the second round at the sub-regional in Lincoln, Neb.
NEXT WEEK: Utah will await the chance to participate in the NCAA Regionals on Dec. 6-8.
UTAH RANKINGS IN THE MWC: Utah, as a team is second in the MWC in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to just a .146 hitting percentage per match. The Utes are second in match win-loss percentage (.793) and blocks (3.36), and third with a .244 hitting percentage. Utah is third in assists (14.05), kills (15.48), digs (13.53), and fourth in service aces (1.56). Individually, Utah ranks among the top in the MWC statistical leaders. Junior Sylva Strzinkova is second in the MWC in digs (2.90), is seventh in kills (3.51) and eighth in points (4.21). Senior Alisa Geddes is fourth in digs (2.77) and sixth in service aces (0.38), sophomore Kim Turner is fourth in blocks (1.53) and hitting percentage (.345). Senior McKelle Stilson is seventh in hitting percentage (.318) and 10th in blocks (1.08), senior Adrianne Drake is sixth in blocks (1.38) and freshman Kelsie Kartchner is eighth in assists (6.73).
MWC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS: No. 2 seed Utah won the 2001 Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship, upsetting regular season conference champions and No. 1 seed Colorado State in a thrilling five game victory, 32-34, 19-30, 30-23, 30-27, 15-8, on Sat., Nov. 17 in Provo, Utah.
Utah, who has handed CSU its only two losses of the 2001 season, was led by the MWC Tournament's Most Valuable Player Kim Turner. Turner had 15 kills and a match-high 13 blocks while leading the Utes to their first conference title in the history of the school. Utah defeated No. 3 seed BYU in four games, 30-27, 25-30, 32-30, 30-25, Fri., Nov. 16, in the second semifinal match of the MWC Tournament. Utah out-blocked BYU 13-10 in only its second win all-time at the Smith Fieldhouse. The last time Utah won in Provo was Sept. 21, 1985. The Utes defeated the New Mexico Lobos in a quarterfinal match-up, 3-0 (30-15, 30-16, 30-19) at the MWC Tournament on Thurs., Nov. 15 in Provo, Utah. Utah is a perfect 13-0 at home this season and is on a 15-match overall home win streak.
The Utes entered the MWC Championship as the No. 2 seed-their highest conference tournament seed since 1986. Utah advanced to the MWC semifinals two straight years, but fell to the eventual conference champion each year (Colorado State, 1999, BYU, 2000). The Utes reached their highest national ranking in school history earlier this season at No. 14 and snapped Colorado State's 20-match win streak this year. Sylva Strzinkova was MWC statistical champion for digs with 154 (3.14 per game), while ranking in the league's top 10 for kills (4), aces (6) and points (6).
ALL-MWC TOURNAMENT TEAM: The MWC Tournament champion Utah, placed three players on the all-tournament team. They were: Adrianne Drake, Sylva Strzinkova and Kim Turner. Turner was named the 2001 MWC Tournament MVP.
ALL-MWC TEAM: Utah, which posted its highest conference finish since 1986 at second place, landed three members on the 2001 All-Mountain West Conference Volleyball Team. Kim Turner (MB), last year's Freshman of the Year, was a repeat selection, while McKelle Stilson (MB) and Sylva Strzinkova (OH) were first-time award recipients.
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Nov. 19): Utah sophomore middle blocker Kim Turner was named the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, marking her third award this season and fourth overall.
Turner helped Utah to the school's first-ever conference tournament crown last week. With the Utes trailing 0-2 in the title match vs. No. 1 seed Colorado State, Turner helped shift the tide in a dramatic five-game upset of the Rams by posting a Mountain West Conference Championship match record 13 total blocks. She also hit .394 with 15 kills in the championship match vs. CSU.
In the semifinals, Turner sparked the Utes to just their second win in 32 tries vs. BYU in Provo, totaling 12 kills, three blocks and a .375 attack percentage. In a first-round win over New Mexico, Turner recorded 11 kills, four blocks and a .412 hitting percentage.
For the week, Turner totaled 38 kills (3.17 per game), 19 blocks (1.67 per game) and three digs (.25 per game), earning MWC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Nov. 5): Utah sophomore middle blocker Kim Turner was named the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 5. This was Turner's second award this season and third overall.
Turner helped then-No. 15 Utah upset then-No. 6 Colorado State in five games in Salt Lake City. Turner played a significant role for the Utes in the blocking category last week. In a match where the Rams and the Utes combined for a MWC season-high 42 blocks, Turner totaled a career-high 11 blocks. She recorded her first double-double of the season, adding 10 kills vs. the Rams, while posting a .375 hitting percentage (10k-1e-24a). In a three-game win over Wyoming, Turner totaled six kills, three digs and three blocks. For the week, Turner averaged 2.0 kills, 1.75 blocks, .62 digs and 2.94 points per game, while hitting .275.
Utah was on a 10-match winning streak and has a league-high 13 straight victories at home. The Utes recently moved up to No. 14 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll-their highest ranking in school history.
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (OCT. 22): Utah sophomore middle blocker Kim Turner was named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 22.
Turner helped then-No. 18 Utah sweep a pair of in-state teams last week. In a three-game victory over Weber State, Turner hit a season-high .750 with 10 kills, while playing just two of the three games in the match. Turner played one of her best matches of the year in a five-game upset of No. 13 BYU as she tallied a season-high 18 kills along with a .333 hitting percentage. She also posted nine block assists for a season-high 22.5 points in the match.
For the week, Turner averaged 4.0 kills, .43 digs, 1.43 blocks and 4.71 points per game, while hitting .444 (28k-8e-45a).
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (OCT. 15): Utah junior outside hitter Sylva Strzinkova was named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 15, marking the first time she has earned the award.
A native of Brno, Czech Republic and a transfer from Salt Lake CC, Strzinkova helped the Utes sweep UNLV and San Diego State (Oct. 12 and 13) to extend their home win streak to eight matches. Strzinkova totaled 12 kills and hit .400 vs. UNLV, and came back the next night to post her league-leading seventh double-double of the season with 12 kills and 14 digs vs. SDSU. She also tallied five block assists and hit .455 vs. the Aztecs.
NEW ON THE STAT REPORT: The MWC is tracking individual points per game this season. Points are awarded based on the following formula: kills + aces + solo blocks + 1/2-assist blocks. Utah, as a team is seventh in the MWC in points (2203.0). On the year, Sylva Strzinkova leads the Utes with 446.0 points (4.21 ppg), followed by Kim Turner with 397.0 (3.74 ppg), Alisa Geddes with 333.0 points (3.08 ppg), McKelle Stilson with 319.5 (3.04 ppg) and Adrianne Drake with 318.0 (3.00 ppg).
NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL ATTENDANCE: Utah ranks just outside the top 30 in the nation in home match attendance. In 13 matches at home, the Utes have brought in 10,048 fans, an average of 773 fans per match. Utah's match with BYU on Oct. 19, 2001 at Crimson Court marked the second highest attendance in school history with 1,571 fans.
UTAH VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: Utah is 7-4 (.636) vs. opponents ranked in the Top 25 USA Today/AVCA Coaches' Poll. On Fri., Aug. 31, the Utes defeated then-No. 25-ranked Georgia Tech in three games at Crimson Court. On Thurs., Sept. 6, Utah lost to then-No. 5-ranked Arizona Wildcats. The Utes lost in three games in Tucson, Ariz. The Utes defeated then-No. 23 ranked Colorado in five games on Sat., Sept. 8, at Crimson Court. Utah lost to then-No. 14-ranked BYU Cougars in three games in Provo, Utah on Thurs., Sept. 20. On Fri., Oct. 5, the Utes lost to then-No. 9 ranked Colorado State in three games at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. Utah recorded a comeback win in five games over then-No. 13-ranked BYU at Crimson Court on Fri., Oct. 19. The Utes defeated then-No. 25-ranked Utah State in four games at home on Tues., Oct. 26. On Sat., Nov. 3, Utah upset then-No. 6-ranked Colorado State in five games at Crimson Court. The Utes defeated then-No. 18-ranked BYU in four games, 30-27, 25-30, 32-30, 30-25, in a semifinal match-up at the MWC Tourney on Fri., Nov. 16 in Provo, Utah. Utah recorded an upset win over then-No. 8-ranked Colorado State in the championship match of the 2001 MWC Tournament on Sat., Nov. 17, in Provo, Utah. The Utes lost a nailbiter to No. 10 ranked Hawaii in five games, 30-24, 19-30, 30-27, 23-30, 7-15, at the Banker's Classic on Fri., Nov. 23 in Stockton, Calif.
HEAD COACH BETH LAUNIERE: In her 12th season, Beth Launiere has not only resurrected the Ute volleyball program and turned it into a consistent winner, she has also guided Utah to unprecedented success on the national level.
Under Launiere's leadership, Utah made its third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000, and for a third-straight year advanced to the second round. It is the crowning achievement of Launiere's eleven-year tenure at Utah, in which she has posted a 226-152 (.598) career record.
The winningest coach in school history, Launiere has overseen a significant transformation since her arrival in 1990. In the last seven years alone, Launiere has guided the Utes to seven 20-win seasons and Utah's second-place finish in the MWC this season marked its highest finish ever in the Launiere era. The 2001 Ute team won the 2001 Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship, upsetting regular season conference champions and No. 8 ranked Colorado State in a thrilling five game victory, 32-34, 19-30, 30-23, 30-27, 15-8, on Sat., Nov. 18 in Provo, Utah. The 2001 MWC Tournament title is the first-ever in school history.
Launiere worked hard in 2001 to maintain the level of play and expectations of the previous season. The 2001 season has been a definite breakthrough year for Utah volleyball. Starting off on a good note, the Utes with 254 points, checked in at No. 21 pre-season AVCA/USA Today Coaches' Top-25 poll. The No. 13 ranking in the Nov. 19th poll this season was the highest-ever ranking for the Utah volleyball program. With a 23-6 overall record, Utah posted its sixth consecutive, and 12th overall, 20-win season. The Utes' .793 overall winning percentage proves the best in school history. Utah also equaled the third-best conference winning percentage in school history this season (11-3, .785). The 2001 squad is the only team thus far to snap Colorado State's 20-match win streak this year.
UTES APPROACH 500 CAREER WIN MARK: The Utah volleyball program is quickly approaching its 500th career win. The Utes need just three more wins and with the NCAA Tournament this week, they could very well hit the mark.
UTES HIT 455 CAREER WINS: The University of Utah women's volleyball program hit the 455 career-win mark on Nov. 16 at the 2001 MWC Tournament semifinals. The 3-1 win over BYU in Provo, Utah, marked the Utes 455th career win.
LAUNIERE LANDS 225TH CAREER WIN MARK: Utah's winningest coach in school history, Beth Launiere recorded her 225th career win at the 2001 MWC Tournament in Provo, Utah. Launiere hit the 225 career win mark in the MWC tournament championship match, with a 3-2 upset win over then-No. 8-ranked Colorado State.
REGULAR-SEASON PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The Utes practice from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. in East 101 at the HPER building on the University of Utah campus. All practice times and dates are tentative and subject to change. For regular scheduled practice times, please contact Julie Lapomarda. Utah Women's Volleyball practices are closed to the media. To set up interviews before or after practice with Head Coach Beth Launiere or Ute players, please contact Julie Lapomarda women's volleyball SID at: (801) 581-3771 (office), or at (801) 468-0571 (home).
REGULAR-SEASON WEEKLY INTERVIEWS: Members of the media who wish to interview Head Coach Beth Launiere should contact her at her office (801-581-6843) between 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. weekdays. Interviews with the athletes should be arranged through Julie Lapomarda (801-581-3771).
REGULAR-SEASON POST-MATCH SERVICES/INTERVIEWS: Head Coach Beth Launiere and Utah players will be available for interviews outside the Utah lockerroom following a 10 minute cooling off period. A member of the Utah sports information staff will gather interview requests immediately following the match. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.
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