Utah Volleyball Gears Up for Round One of Rivalry

Friday, November 14

Salt Lake City, UT

7:00 PM

University of Utah

BYU

Photo by: University of Utah Athletics

Utah Volleyball Gears Up for Round One of Rivalry

11/13/2025 11:17 AM | Volleyball

Week 12 Notes

Utes host No. 23 BYU at the Jon M. Huntsman Center Friday Night

SALT LAKE CITY- Utah Volleyball takes on their in-state rival this week in the No. 23 ranked BYU Cougars. Friday's matchup will be the one-hundred-and-tenth meeting between the two Wasatch Front Foes.

Fans are encouraged to Red Out the Huntsman Center on Friday, Nov. 14th at 7 p.m. as the team also celebrates Military Appreciation in honor of Veteran's Day.

Fans that can't make it to the Huntsman Center on Friday night can catch the action against BYU on ESPN+ with Krista Blunk and Linda Byington on the call.

FOR THE FANS
• Fans are encouraged to wear RED
• Yoshi's food truck will be available to fans
•Utah T-Shirts and Poms will be available at the doors

CAREER STATS WATCH
• Senior middle blocker Emrie Moea'i is 7 kills away (993) from 1000 career kills and 30 blocks away (470) from 500 career blocks.
• Junior outside hitter Kamryn Gibadlo reached 1000 career kills against TCU on Nov. 7, 2025.
• Senior setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy hit 2000 career assists against TCU on Nov. 7, 2025.
• Sophomore setter Isabelle Marco hit 1000 assists for her career against Baylor on Nov. 9, 2025.

QUICK HITS
• Head Coach Beth Launiere is in her 36th season at the helm of the program, ranking as Utah Volleyball's winningest head coach, and currently holds a 685-438 record.
• Gibadlo has 12 games this season where she has recorded double-digit kills and digs in the same match.
•The Utes spent the first six weeks of the 2025 season ranked in the AVCA Top 25.
• Utah will have faced 10 total opponents this season in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, including their exhibition against No. 2 Texas on Aug. 15.
• Utah returns nine players from last season's team that stamped the program's ticket to its 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Three of those returners were 2025 All-Big 12 selections (Kamryn Gibadlo, Emrie Moea'i, and Isabelle Marco).
• The Utes welcome nine newcomers to their 2025 squad that include six freshmen, three transfers, and the addition of nine-year-old "Ultimate Ute" Briar Rose.

TOP OF THE CLASS
• Team leaders in kills: Gibadlo (372), Moea'i (237), Joki (159), Levani Key-Powell (84), Devyn Wiest (79).
•Team leaders in assists: Leah Wilton-LaBoy (555), Isabelle Marco (385), McKenna Payne (53), Key-Powell (18), Grace Moss (16).
• Team leaders in service aces: Moea'i (22), Key-Powell (22), Wilton-LaBoy (22), Gibadlo (21), Joki (12).
• Team leaders in digs: Gibadlo (215), Key-Powell (172), Payne (149), Iliana Linahan (132), Wilton-LaBoy (124).
• Team leaders in blocks: Moea'i (98), Field (5), Joki (43), Wilton-LaBoy (37), Gibadlo (36).

SCOUTING BYU
Utah vs. BYU: 32-78
H: 16-28 | A: 10-48 | N: 5-3
The BYU Cougars came into the 2025 season voted as the preseason Big 12 favorites to win the conference by the media. Currently, the Cougars sit in the middle of the pack in the Big 12, having sustained all seven of their losses to very robust conference opponents. The Cougars are among the most statistically sound teams in conference, as they lead in points per set (18.12), hitting percentage (.265), as well as being No. 2 in kills per set and service aces per set. Sophomore Alex Bower leads the conference in assists, with a staggering 902 for the year. In last seasons' outings versus BYU, the series was split at one a piece, with the most recent matchup coming as a 3-0 sweep by Utah in the Jon M. Huntsman Center that set an attendance record (5,953).

REIGNING RETURNERS
• Gibadlo returns to the Utes as an AVCA 2025 Division I Player of the Year to watch after becoming Utah's 24th AVCA All-American (honorable mention) in her sophomore year. Gibadlo was also an AVCA All-Region honoree and was named an All-Big 12 First Team selection after leading the Utes in kills/set (3.43), kills (370), and aces (38). Over the summer, Gibadlo sharpened her skills competing with the U21 National Team, winning gold in the PanAm Cup. In her first season at Utah (2023), Gibadlo earned Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors. Gibadlo recently upped her kills career-high to 28 against West Virginia while locking in 12 matches this season with double-digit kills and digs.
• Utah returns a strong defensive presence with Moea'i (formerly Satuala) who earned AVCA All-Region honors and a spot on the All-Big 12 Second Team for her solid junior year. In 2024, Moea'i posted double-digit kills in nine matches, setting her season-high against BYU (14) while tying her career-high in total blocks (11) against Utah State. So far this season, Moea'i notched a career best in aces (5) while matching career-bests in assists (1), and digs (4).
• Isabelle Marco made a splash in her first season at Utah in 2024,earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Rookie Team after leading the Utes inassists per set (5.74) and total assists (625). Marco has started 2025 where she left off in 2024 posting career-bests in kills (4), attempts (6), assists (50), and blocks (3).
• Levani Key-Powell is expected to make a bigger impact for the Utes in 2025 after getting her feet wet in 2024 as a freshman. So far, Key-Powell has met those expectations setting new career-highs in kills (13), attempts (27), assists (4), aces (5), and digs (23).

WELCOME TO UTAH
• Along with some seasoned vets, the Utes are welcoming a total ofnine newcomers (six freshmen, three transfers, and one "Ultimate Ute") to their 2025 squad.
• Freshman Class of 2025: MB Mijacic, MB DyBorrah Johnson, L/DS Payne, MB Field, OH Devyn Wiest, and OPP Grossenbach.
• Transfer Class of 2025: S Wilton-LaBoy via Oklahoma and Utah State, OH Langley Griffin via Utah Beach Volleyball, and OH/OPP Joki.
• Wiest spent the summer competing with USA Volleyball's U19 Girls' National Team that took silver in the World Championship, while Joki, a reigning ACC All-Freshman Team selection at Clemson went home to Finland to compete with the Finish Senior National Team for the European Championship.
• Utah Volleyball made a last-minute move to sign nine-year-old Briar Rose to their "Ultimate Ute" position through Team IMPACT ahead of the 2025 season. Briar Rose will be with the Utes for two seasons and will be responsible for teaching Swoop new cheers and keeping team morale high through the competitive year.

UP NEXT
The Utes wrap up their home slate for the year next week hosting No. 13 Kansas on Wed., Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. MT. Utah will then turn their attention to Arizona for Senior Night on Fri., Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. MT.

Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.

2025 Utah Volleyball Schedule, Roster, & Ticketing Information
View full schedule here. | Check out Utah Volleyball's full 2025 roster here.
Season tickets are available here. | Single game tickets are available here.

FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Volleyball program, including tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtahVolleyball | Instagram: @utahvolleyball).

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