Beth Launiere couldn’t help but feel pleased.
For weeks, Utah’s head volleyball coach has seen her team’s chemistry blossom behind the scenes. It started with the Utes foreign tour earlier this year in Europe, continued in conference play and was on full display in No.4-seeded Utah’s 3-0 sweep of the College of Charleston on Thursday night.
In the match, six different players had at least five different kills. Sophomore outside hitter Kamryn Gibadlo led the team with 11 kills, while hitting .103% on the night.
The Utes also finished with 41 assists, five service aces, 57 digs and nine blocks.
“I was pleased with the composure that we showed at certain times,” Launiere said. “This team, all year long, has found solutions to problems.
“This team is extremely selfless. It doesn’t matter to them who leads us in kills or who leads us in digs. They don’t look at that. They are as tight a group as we’ve had and when you have that kind of team chemistry, and you have that kind of selflessness, then teams do good things, and that’s what this team is truly about.”
The Utes took a 1-0 lead in the series, after defeating Charleston 25-21 in the first set. Redshirt senior outside hitter Rianne Vos led Utah offensively in the period tallying a set-high five kills on nine total attempts.
Alongside Vos, the Utes relied on their passing in the opening set, garnering 16 assists. They also took advantage of the Cougars' seven errors en route to a four-point victory in the first set.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah middle blocker Allie Olsen (16) hits the ball, in volleyball action between Utah and Col. of Charleston, in the NCAA Salt Lake Regionals, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Wednesday, Dec 4, 2024.
“We were fighting as hard as we possibly could because we loved the people we were next to,” Senior outside hitter Lauren Jardine said. “I think that that just adds more depth and variety to when people do take over, when people do need to take a step back, like everybody is involved no matter what, regardless of whether you’re on or off the court. And so I think that’s one part of our really special team.”
Redshirt senior defensive specialist Claranne Fechter ended the second set with a service ace, which gave the Utes a 25-19 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match. Jardine had five total kills in the set alongside a pair of service aces.
Jardine ended the match with nine kills, two service aces and four blocks. She entered the contest second in the team in kills, just behind Gibaldo.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah middle blocker Amelia Van Der Werff (5) looks on as Utah setter Grace Hammond (15) his the ball, in the NCAA Salt Lake Regionals, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Wednesday, Dec 4, 2024.
After running out to a 2-0 lead, the Utes secured the sweep with a decisive 25-16 win in the third set. Jardine helped Utah build offensive momentum by notching three kills that, ultimately, closed out the U.‘s victory.
“I think that moment changed when one of my teammates was like, we need you right now,” Jardine said. “I think that, like being able to have that open conversation with each one of my teammates, knowing that they rely on me, and being able to step up to that role, I think it is really important, especially when it happens to different players each time.”
Junior middle blocker Emrie Satuala added: “It takes a lot to put your ego aside and not want to just, like, go out and bang balls and want to be that player on the team who carries. But we’ve done a good job of just giving the team what it needs when they need it. So I think Lauren did a good job of stepping up when you needed her to step up.”
With a first-round victory over the Cougars, the Utes will advance to the second round of the tournament to face No. 5-seeded Marquette at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah middle blocker Allie Olsen (16) serves in volleyball action between Utah and Col. of Charleston, in the NCAA Salt Lake Regionals, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Wednesday, Dec 4, 2024.
And, with such a quick turnaround, Utah is already locking in on the Golden Eagles.
“They’ve got some physicality,” Utah’s head coach said of Marquette. “They’ve got some live arms that we’re going to have to contend with. They’re going to have the ability to terminate in long rallies. Who’s going to do it first? I think that’s going to be an interesting part of it.
“I think we’re going to face some really aggressive servers, so that’s going to be, I think, probably part of the storyline.”
