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LAS VEGAS - Hotter-than-hot Utah was all business in its quarterfinal Mountain West Conference tournament match against New Mexico on Thursday in the Cox Pavilion.
The record-setting No. 1 seed and ninth-ranked Utes, not wanting to follow the example of No. 2 seed Brigham Young, which was upset earlier in the day, wasted little time dispatching the eighth-seeded Lobos, 30-16, 30-16, 30-18.
"We saw that anything can happen," said outside hitter Whitney Webb. "We knew had to come out and play."
With five all-conference players on the roster, including MWC Player of the Year Airial Salvo, the deep Utes (26-2) had too much for the overmatched Lobos (10-20). Utah meets UNLV today at 5 p.m. for the right to go to Saturday's final.
"We executed at such a high level," said Utah coach Beth Launiere, recently voted the MWC Coach of the Year. "For a coach, it was fun to watch."
Through the first two games, Utah, which won its 24th straight match, compiled a sizzling .465 hitting percentage with just four hitting errors. The Utes, who always appear to have five hitters on the court at all times who attack from all angles, finished at .455.
Salvo finished with a match-high 14 kills, followed by Lori Baird's 12. Salvo and Emillie Toone combined for nine blocks, while Connie Dangerfield and Kate Robison had 10 digs each.
"It was really fun," Salvo said. "We wanted to show Beth that we could come out strong at the beginning of a match."
Did they ever. The winning streak is a conference record, while the 26 victories set a new school mark.
Defensively, the Utes were just as good, with their wall combing for a disheartening 16 blocks. New Mexico managed a scant .125 hitting percentage.
Although the Lobos, who won the play-in game against Air Force on Wednesday, started fast in the third game, the contest was never really in doubt.
Utah expects a different effort from UNLV, playing on its home court.
"It should be a good match," Salvo said. "They're good defensively."
In the end, Utah took its inspiration not only from its own fine play, but the warning that anything can happen in a winner-take-all tournament setting.
"Any team can get hot," Launiere said. "The lower seeds have a lot of reasons to win."
Colorado State def. TCU 33-31, 30-32, 30-28, 30-16: At Las Vegas, Jaime Strauss led the third-seeded Rams with 24 kills and 12 digs.
UNLV def. Wyoming 30-22, 30-25, 30-23: At Las Vegas, the fourth-seeded Rebels got 13 kills and 10 digs from Maria Aladjova to advance to the semifinals.
* Utah sets a conference record with 24 straight wins.
* Utah combined to hit .455, while limiting New Mexico to .125.