Post by volleydog on Sept 29, 2006 11:02:01 GMT -5
This should be a good match tonite. BYU may even put some people in the stands. They have had crowds to rival the Men's matches this year.
BYU's site....
PROVO, Utah (Sept. 26, 2006) -- The No. 16 BYU women's volleyball team will face a tough test this weekend as No. 18 Utah comes to town for a matchup between the Mountain West Conference's top two teams on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse.
"Utah's ranking is very well-deserved," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "They are a confident team that has been tested early in nonconference play and has had success. This will be a great match between two very competitive volleyball programs. We hope that our fans will come out and support us."
At 12-1 overall so far this season and 4-0 in league action, the Cougars are once again on pace for another conference title. Despite losing starting setter Amy Schlauder to injury three weeks ago, BYU has been dominant throughout the early part of the season, recording nine sweeps and ranking in the top 10 nationally in hitting percentage (7th - .308) and win/loss percentage (10th - .923) in addition to ranking 28th in blocks per game. Senior middle blocker Lindsy Hartsock also ranks nationally in blocks and hitting percentage while sophomore middle blocker Rachel Dyer joins Hartsock among the nation's best in hitting efficiency.
The Smith Fieldhouse has been particularly kind to the Cougar squad as BYU is 5-0 at home this season and was 10-0 in the Fieldhouse last year. An average of 1,965 Cougar faithful have shown their support at each home match this season, which ranks 11th in the nation. A BYU women's volleyball record 4,050 fans saw the Cougars shock then-No. 4 Stanford in four games in BYU's first home match of the year.
The Utes are ranked No. 18 in the nation after beginning the 2006 season 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the Mountain West Conference. Their only two losses came against then-No. 5 Florida and then-No. 14 USC, both of which were on the road. Utah leads the nation in blocks per game behind junior middle blocker Emillie Toone, who also leads the country individually with 2.12 blocks per game. The Utes are also ranked in the top 25 nationally in hitting percentage (14th - .290), assists (19th - 15.10) and kills (24th - 16.33). Sophomore Airial Salvo, the 2005 MWC Freshman of the Year, is second in the league in kills per game (4.24) and points (5.11), behind BYU's Erica Lott in both categories. She is also tied with BYU's Chelsea Goodman for the league lead in aces per game with 0.50.
In last season's match in Provo, the Cougars defeated the Utes in four games, ending a 10-match Utah winning streak in the series. BYU owns a 62-19 overall advantage in the rivalry.
Fans of these two teams can catch all the action of Friday's match via live stats or a live Internet video stream available to all BYU Cougars All-Access and/or CSTV XXL subscribers. Links for both can be found by going to the Schedule page of the BYU women's volleyball homepage at www.byucougars.com.
Utah's site....
This Week - The No. 18-ranked University of Utah volleyball team (11-2, 4-0 Mountain West Conference) has only one match on the docket this week but it's a big one. The Utes battle conference rival and No. 16-ranked Brigham Young (12-1, 4-0 MWC) in Provo, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 29. The match will be held at Smith Fieldhouse and will start at 7 p.m.
Quoting Head Coach Beth Launiere:
On This Week: "This is going to be a big match for both teams in terms of national rankings and in the conference race. But, it's always a big match when BYU and Utah play each other. Both teams are talented and physical and what it's going to come down to is who serves and passes better."
On Last Week: "I was ecstatic with our results last weekend. This is typically one of our most difficult trips and we came down and controlled both matches and got the wins. To execute as well as we did last weekend is big for this team." v
Letting the "Kat" Out of the Bag - Kathryn Lovell entered action last weekend averaging 3.00 kills per game and hitting .169. But, last weekend against UNLV and San Diego, she averaged 3.71 kills and collected them at an impressive .352 clip. Her hitting percentage led all outside hitters last weekend. She had a season-high-tying 13 kills in both matches and hit .219 against UNLV and a scorching .545 versus SDSU.
Better or Worse? - UNLV and San Diego State broke a string that saw five straight Utah opponents hit well below .100 for the match. The Rebels hit .129 while SDSU hit .229. The Aztecs were the first team to even break the .200 hitting barrier since USC (.246) did it back on Sept. 2. While last weekend's rivals enjoyed marginal success, opponents are still hitting a paltry .097 against the Utes.
Armed and Dangerous - Ute arms were on fire in the three-game win over San Diego State on Saturday. Utah hit a season-high .442 against the Aztecs, collecting 62 kills on 113 swings. There were only 12 hitting errors charged to Utah's hitters. That was the sixth time Utah has hit better than .300 this year and second time it's topped the .400 plateau. It is 6-0 when it hits better than .300 in a match this year.
The Great Wall of... Utah - The fearsome threesome of Emillie Toone, Lori Baird and Whitney Webb threw up a big defensive wall last weekend. All three of them had 11 total blocks on the weekend and averaged 1.57 blocks per game. That was well above Baird's (1.22) and Webb's (1.37) averages. Toone entered the week as the No. 1 blocker in the country. She currently averages 2.12 blocks per game.
The Great Wall... Part 2 - On the heels of last weekend, the trio of Emillie Toone, Whitney Webb and Lori Baird all rank in the top four in the conference in blocking. Toone is the league leader with 2.12 blocks per game while Webb is third (1.37) and Baird fourth (1.22).
Scoopin' Up What You're Puttin' Down - Utah is the only MWC team with two athletes averaging four-plus digs per match. Airial Salvo leads the team with 4.07 digs per game while libero Connie Dangerfield is netting 4.05. With that, Utah is the only team with its two digs leaders ranking in the top seven in the league. Salvo ranks fifth and Dangerfield seventh. However, they are part of a whole as the team ranks second in the league, averaging 16.79 digs per game.
Dial "12" For Assistance - Shannon Krug is only a sophomore but has already firmly etched her name in Utah's record book. Last weekend, she dished out 27 assists which pushed her over the 1,600 career assist mark. Krug now has 1,620 assists and ranks ninth all-time at Utah. She needs 79 more to take over eighth. As a freshman last year, she handed out 1,423 assists, the second best single-season mark in Ute annals.
From the Top -With the 11-2, 4-0 MWC, start, Utah has recorded some impressive numbers. It ranks first in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.097), assists (15.10), Kills (16.33) and blocks (3.88). It ranks second in digs (16.79). The only category it doesn't rank in the top two is service aces (fourth, 1.67).
National Rankings - In the national rankings through Sept. 17, Emillie Toone is the No. 1 blocker (2.12 bpg) in the nation and 25th in hitting (.398). Meanwhile, the team ranks first in blocks per game (3.88), 14th in hitting (.290), 19th in assists (15.10), 24th in kills (16.33) and 26th in win-loss percentage (.846).
Potent Notables - The Utes are 0-2 against ranked teams with 3-1 losses to then-No. 5 Florida and then-No. 14 USC ... Utah is 3-2 in games that go extra points ... ten of the 11 Utah victories have been by a 3-0 count. The only team to win a game off the Utes in their victories was SDSU. The Aztecs lost 3-1... Utah has hit better than .300 in three of the last five matches, topping out at a season-high .442 in its last outing against San Diego State ... San Diego State held the 7.5-7 edge in team blocks. It is the first team to out block Utah since Arkansas State (6-5) did it in the season opener ... the Utes tied a season high when they collected 79 digs in the four-game win over UNLV. They also had 79 digs in the four-game loss to then-No. 5 Florida ... Utah had 31 block assists in the four-game win over UNLV. That was four shy of the school record 35 set against Utah State back in 1991. The 31 block assists is a season high ... the team is 11-2 in games one and two, 12-1 in game three and 1-2 in game four ... it is also 10-0 in three-game matches while it is 1-2 in four-gamers. Utah has yet to play a five-game match this season.
Scouting the Opponents:
Brigham Young- The Cougars bring a 12-1, 4-0 MWC, mark in to this week's match against Utah. BYU has won six straight, including a 3-1 win over San Diego State and a 3-0 win over UNLV last weekend. BYU owns the 54-19 all-time series leads but lost two-out-of-three last year. Both losses were 3-0 sweeps including one of them in the MWC Tournament championship match. Leading the Cougars are Erica Lott (4.64 kills), Lindsy Hartsock (.420 hitting and 1.68 blocks), Jenna Judkins (11.37 assists) and Janvier Beaumont (3.61 digs).
Last Week - The Utes raced their conference record out to 4-0 with a 3-1 win over UNLV (30-16, 32-34, 30-28, 30-23) and a 3-0 win over San Diego State (30-25, 30-18, 30-20) last weekend.
Utah out-hit the Rebels, .244-.129, led by Airial Salvo and her 17 kills. She finished the match with a double-double as she also had a match-high 21 digs. The Utes held the 15.5-9 edge at the net as Emillie Toone's eight total blocks led the way.
The Utes remained perfect in league play as they edged SDSU by hitting a scorching .442. Leading the way was Kathryn Lovell. She hit .545 in racking up 13 kills on the Aztecs. The Utes' kills leader however was Salvo who finished with 15. SDSU held the 7.5-7 edge in team blocks but it only hit .221 for the match. Leading Utah's block was Lori Baird and Whitney Webb. Both had four blocks apiece. Sydney Anderson's 13 digs also led the Ute defense.
BYU's site....
PROVO, Utah (Sept. 26, 2006) -- The No. 16 BYU women's volleyball team will face a tough test this weekend as No. 18 Utah comes to town for a matchup between the Mountain West Conference's top two teams on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse.
"Utah's ranking is very well-deserved," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "They are a confident team that has been tested early in nonconference play and has had success. This will be a great match between two very competitive volleyball programs. We hope that our fans will come out and support us."
At 12-1 overall so far this season and 4-0 in league action, the Cougars are once again on pace for another conference title. Despite losing starting setter Amy Schlauder to injury three weeks ago, BYU has been dominant throughout the early part of the season, recording nine sweeps and ranking in the top 10 nationally in hitting percentage (7th - .308) and win/loss percentage (10th - .923) in addition to ranking 28th in blocks per game. Senior middle blocker Lindsy Hartsock also ranks nationally in blocks and hitting percentage while sophomore middle blocker Rachel Dyer joins Hartsock among the nation's best in hitting efficiency.
The Smith Fieldhouse has been particularly kind to the Cougar squad as BYU is 5-0 at home this season and was 10-0 in the Fieldhouse last year. An average of 1,965 Cougar faithful have shown their support at each home match this season, which ranks 11th in the nation. A BYU women's volleyball record 4,050 fans saw the Cougars shock then-No. 4 Stanford in four games in BYU's first home match of the year.
The Utes are ranked No. 18 in the nation after beginning the 2006 season 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the Mountain West Conference. Their only two losses came against then-No. 5 Florida and then-No. 14 USC, both of which were on the road. Utah leads the nation in blocks per game behind junior middle blocker Emillie Toone, who also leads the country individually with 2.12 blocks per game. The Utes are also ranked in the top 25 nationally in hitting percentage (14th - .290), assists (19th - 15.10) and kills (24th - 16.33). Sophomore Airial Salvo, the 2005 MWC Freshman of the Year, is second in the league in kills per game (4.24) and points (5.11), behind BYU's Erica Lott in both categories. She is also tied with BYU's Chelsea Goodman for the league lead in aces per game with 0.50.
In last season's match in Provo, the Cougars defeated the Utes in four games, ending a 10-match Utah winning streak in the series. BYU owns a 62-19 overall advantage in the rivalry.
Fans of these two teams can catch all the action of Friday's match via live stats or a live Internet video stream available to all BYU Cougars All-Access and/or CSTV XXL subscribers. Links for both can be found by going to the Schedule page of the BYU women's volleyball homepage at www.byucougars.com.
Utah's site....
This Week - The No. 18-ranked University of Utah volleyball team (11-2, 4-0 Mountain West Conference) has only one match on the docket this week but it's a big one. The Utes battle conference rival and No. 16-ranked Brigham Young (12-1, 4-0 MWC) in Provo, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 29. The match will be held at Smith Fieldhouse and will start at 7 p.m.
Quoting Head Coach Beth Launiere:
On This Week: "This is going to be a big match for both teams in terms of national rankings and in the conference race. But, it's always a big match when BYU and Utah play each other. Both teams are talented and physical and what it's going to come down to is who serves and passes better."
On Last Week: "I was ecstatic with our results last weekend. This is typically one of our most difficult trips and we came down and controlled both matches and got the wins. To execute as well as we did last weekend is big for this team." v
Letting the "Kat" Out of the Bag - Kathryn Lovell entered action last weekend averaging 3.00 kills per game and hitting .169. But, last weekend against UNLV and San Diego, she averaged 3.71 kills and collected them at an impressive .352 clip. Her hitting percentage led all outside hitters last weekend. She had a season-high-tying 13 kills in both matches and hit .219 against UNLV and a scorching .545 versus SDSU.
Better or Worse? - UNLV and San Diego State broke a string that saw five straight Utah opponents hit well below .100 for the match. The Rebels hit .129 while SDSU hit .229. The Aztecs were the first team to even break the .200 hitting barrier since USC (.246) did it back on Sept. 2. While last weekend's rivals enjoyed marginal success, opponents are still hitting a paltry .097 against the Utes.
Armed and Dangerous - Ute arms were on fire in the three-game win over San Diego State on Saturday. Utah hit a season-high .442 against the Aztecs, collecting 62 kills on 113 swings. There were only 12 hitting errors charged to Utah's hitters. That was the sixth time Utah has hit better than .300 this year and second time it's topped the .400 plateau. It is 6-0 when it hits better than .300 in a match this year.
The Great Wall of... Utah - The fearsome threesome of Emillie Toone, Lori Baird and Whitney Webb threw up a big defensive wall last weekend. All three of them had 11 total blocks on the weekend and averaged 1.57 blocks per game. That was well above Baird's (1.22) and Webb's (1.37) averages. Toone entered the week as the No. 1 blocker in the country. She currently averages 2.12 blocks per game.
The Great Wall... Part 2 - On the heels of last weekend, the trio of Emillie Toone, Whitney Webb and Lori Baird all rank in the top four in the conference in blocking. Toone is the league leader with 2.12 blocks per game while Webb is third (1.37) and Baird fourth (1.22).
Scoopin' Up What You're Puttin' Down - Utah is the only MWC team with two athletes averaging four-plus digs per match. Airial Salvo leads the team with 4.07 digs per game while libero Connie Dangerfield is netting 4.05. With that, Utah is the only team with its two digs leaders ranking in the top seven in the league. Salvo ranks fifth and Dangerfield seventh. However, they are part of a whole as the team ranks second in the league, averaging 16.79 digs per game.
Dial "12" For Assistance - Shannon Krug is only a sophomore but has already firmly etched her name in Utah's record book. Last weekend, she dished out 27 assists which pushed her over the 1,600 career assist mark. Krug now has 1,620 assists and ranks ninth all-time at Utah. She needs 79 more to take over eighth. As a freshman last year, she handed out 1,423 assists, the second best single-season mark in Ute annals.
From the Top -With the 11-2, 4-0 MWC, start, Utah has recorded some impressive numbers. It ranks first in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.097), assists (15.10), Kills (16.33) and blocks (3.88). It ranks second in digs (16.79). The only category it doesn't rank in the top two is service aces (fourth, 1.67).
National Rankings - In the national rankings through Sept. 17, Emillie Toone is the No. 1 blocker (2.12 bpg) in the nation and 25th in hitting (.398). Meanwhile, the team ranks first in blocks per game (3.88), 14th in hitting (.290), 19th in assists (15.10), 24th in kills (16.33) and 26th in win-loss percentage (.846).
Potent Notables - The Utes are 0-2 against ranked teams with 3-1 losses to then-No. 5 Florida and then-No. 14 USC ... Utah is 3-2 in games that go extra points ... ten of the 11 Utah victories have been by a 3-0 count. The only team to win a game off the Utes in their victories was SDSU. The Aztecs lost 3-1... Utah has hit better than .300 in three of the last five matches, topping out at a season-high .442 in its last outing against San Diego State ... San Diego State held the 7.5-7 edge in team blocks. It is the first team to out block Utah since Arkansas State (6-5) did it in the season opener ... the Utes tied a season high when they collected 79 digs in the four-game win over UNLV. They also had 79 digs in the four-game loss to then-No. 5 Florida ... Utah had 31 block assists in the four-game win over UNLV. That was four shy of the school record 35 set against Utah State back in 1991. The 31 block assists is a season high ... the team is 11-2 in games one and two, 12-1 in game three and 1-2 in game four ... it is also 10-0 in three-game matches while it is 1-2 in four-gamers. Utah has yet to play a five-game match this season.
Scouting the Opponents:
Brigham Young- The Cougars bring a 12-1, 4-0 MWC, mark in to this week's match against Utah. BYU has won six straight, including a 3-1 win over San Diego State and a 3-0 win over UNLV last weekend. BYU owns the 54-19 all-time series leads but lost two-out-of-three last year. Both losses were 3-0 sweeps including one of them in the MWC Tournament championship match. Leading the Cougars are Erica Lott (4.64 kills), Lindsy Hartsock (.420 hitting and 1.68 blocks), Jenna Judkins (11.37 assists) and Janvier Beaumont (3.61 digs).
Last Week - The Utes raced their conference record out to 4-0 with a 3-1 win over UNLV (30-16, 32-34, 30-28, 30-23) and a 3-0 win over San Diego State (30-25, 30-18, 30-20) last weekend.
Utah out-hit the Rebels, .244-.129, led by Airial Salvo and her 17 kills. She finished the match with a double-double as she also had a match-high 21 digs. The Utes held the 15.5-9 edge at the net as Emillie Toone's eight total blocks led the way.
The Utes remained perfect in league play as they edged SDSU by hitting a scorching .442. Leading the way was Kathryn Lovell. She hit .545 in racking up 13 kills on the Aztecs. The Utes' kills leader however was Salvo who finished with 15. SDSU held the 7.5-7 edge in team blocks but it only hit .221 for the match. Leading Utah's block was Lori Baird and Whitney Webb. Both had four blocks apiece. Sydney Anderson's 13 digs also led the Ute defense.
