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University of Utah
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Yale
Ute Volleyball Defeats Bulldogs to Claim Yale Invite Crown
9/3/2011 12:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2011
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Three different Utes had at least 14 kills to lead the University of Utah volleyball team to a 3-1 win Saturday at Yale (25-19, 28-30, 25-20, 25-22) in the championship match of the Yale Invitational in the John Lee Amphitheater.
Utah (4-2) hit .341 on the attack, its second .300-plus performance of the tournament, and also turned in nine team blocks, compared to three for Yale. The Utes have outblocked their opponents in all six of their matches this season. The win was Utah's first of the year that did not come in three sets.
The Utes and Bulldogs both went 2-1 at the Yale Invitational with Utah taking the crown after the head-to-head tiebreaker.
"It was a great team effort tonight," Utah head coach Beth Launiere said. "It was nice to get a win in a pressure situation. Yale is a good team and it was a very well-played match. I was glad to be able to pull that one out, our first close win of the season."
Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Odale was named Tournament Co-Most Valuable Player after pounding a career-high 23 kills on 53 attempts with only four errors for a .358 efficiency. The Star, Idaho native then secured her first double-double performance of the season with a career-high-tying 18 digs. Her previous career highs included 22 kills at Arizona State back on Sept. 18, 2010 and also had 18 digs on the road against Missouri State on Sept. 11, 2010.
"[Morgan] was unbelievable," Launiere said. "She was swinging as high and as hard as I have ever seen her swing. She was consistent and aggressive, it was a really impressive all-around performance. It was the best that I had seen her play during her career."
Freshman hitter Chelsey Schofield joined Odale on the all-tournament roster after registering 17 kills on 59 swings and only committing three errors for a .237 efficiency.
Sophomore middle blocker Erin Redd was the third Ute named to the all-tournament squad. She totaled 14 kills with 25 attempts and three miscues for a match-high .440 hitting percentage. Redd also claimed match-high honors with four blocks to lead Utah's front row.
Setter McKenzie Odale toppled her previous career high with 51 assists to go along with 13 digs for her second double-double on the year and the fourth of her career. If that wasn't enough, her four blocks was also a career-high mark.
In back row of the Ute defense, libero Nikki Sim recorded her second consecutive 20-dig performance, which tied her career high. Lea Adolph added a career-high 12 digs, the first double-digit-dig effort of her career.
The seventh and final tie of the opening set found Utah and Yale tied at 17-17, but the Utes finished strong by taking eight of the final 10 points to take a 25-19 victory. Utah hit .361 in the opener, compared to a .229 mark for Yale. The Utes improved to 4-0 when taking the first set so far this season.
There were seven ties early in the second set before the Utes exerted a 4-1 run to take a 13-10 over the Bulldogs. Utah maintained its three-point edge until it was 23-20 before Yale surged with a 4-1 run to tie the set at 24 all. The set would be tied four more times, but the Bulldogs were able to complete the comeback by taking the final two points for a 30-28 win to even the match at one set apiece.
The Utes three of the first four points in the third frame and extended their lead to eight points (18-10) after going on a 7-1 tear. The Bulldogs fought back with a 5-1 rush to cut their deficit to four (19-15), but Utah repelled the late rally took a 2-1 edge in the match after taking the third set, 25-20.
The fourth set was a back-and-fourth affair as well with eight ties, the last one occurring at the 15-15 mark, before the Utes inched out to a three-point lead (22-19) on the way to a 25-22 match-clinching win to secure the victory.
"It was a great team performance," Launiere said. "We made a lot of effort plays and really had to grind this one out. It was a close one."
Yale (2-1) was led by 16 digs and 15 kills by Mollie Rogers. The Bulldogs hit .224 on the attack as a team, the highest percentage Utah has allowed early this season.
The Utes return to Crimson Court next weekend to host the Utah Invitational. Utah will begin the event by facing Eastern Michigan Friday at 7 p.m. The Utes' doubleheader on Saturday will start at 12 p.m., versus UC Riverside then end with a Deseret First Duel match against BYU at 7 p.m. All three matches will be streamed live at utahutes.com, while Gametracker will also provide live stats.
2011 Yale Invitational All-Tournament Team
Co-MVP: Kendall Polan, Yale
Co-MVP: Morgan Odale, Utah
Tsvetelina Dureva, Boston College
Kaylee Fifer, Colgate
Mollie Rogers, Yale
Erica Reetz, Yale
Erin Redd, Utah
Chelsey Schofield, Utah
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