The Utes’ upcoming game against No. 9 BYU is one of the most-hyped events of the volleyball season. This will be the 88th time these two teams have faced each other on the court, and every match is a heated affair.
Despite the intensity of the rivalry, the players and coaches are taking a level-headed approach to this game. Outside hitter Eliza Katoa believes that by playing in the conference that Utah does, the Utes will be prepared for anything the Cougars throw at them.
“Being in the Pac-12, we play teams that are in the top 20 every week, so it’s not really anything new,” Katoa said. “We want to think of it as just another game. We don’t want to hype it up too much.”
Junior libero Tess Sutton echoed her teammate’s sentiments.
“We are all pretty good about talking about it like it doesn’t matter who it is,” Sutton said. “We’re just going to have to play our hardest, no matter who it is.”
In the most recent AVCA poll, BYU cracked the top 10 after starting the season 8-1, despite having a first-year coach in Heather Olmstead leading the way. Utah head coach Beth Launiere is familiar with Olmstead, who, before coaching for BYU, served as an assistant on Launiere’s staff from 2006-10.
“She has played and coached volleyball her whole life,” Launiere said. “I’m sure she’s gonna do a great job. She’s a great competitor. She’s pretty feisty.”
Apart from a rookie head coach, the Utes will have to deal with some very experienced players in the Cougars. Pac-12 Analyst Amy Gant, an alumni of the BYU volleyball program, knows that this is one of BYU’s biggest advantages.
“BYU is coming off of a great season last year and they return a lot of players off that success, so they have a lot of good veterans.” Gant said. “They are very athletic and are a powerful offense. They will be tough to beat.”
Alexa Gray, one of the Cougar’s senior outside hitters returning from last year, is leading the team at 4.34 kills a set and will be the top offensive threat that the Utes will have to deal with. Amy Boswell, a junior out of Aloha Oregon, leads BYU with both her .345 hitting percentage and 43 total blocks on the season. These two veterans are some of the many reasons why BYU will be such a tough team to beat.
Despite BYU boasting the more-talented lineup of the two, Gant believes that Utah has the necessary pieces to potentially pull off the upset.
“Utah has a good block and that will be important, but Utah will also need to kill the ball on the outside,” Gant said. “[Adora] Anae has been very good this season and has a bigger role for this team. She will be the one that will see the most sets and called on to execute in the tough situations.”
The biggest thing about rivalry games is the emotions that run high throughout. Regardless of the players across the net, Brenna DeYoung, Utah’s senior middle blocker, knows this rivalry will bring the intensity to the Huntsman Center.
“Rivalries are always fun,” DeYoung said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. It brings the energy into the gym. The fans are a little more excited. We’re a little more intense.”
Luckily, the Utes will have an advantage. The home team has a crowd at its back and the advantage of playing in a familiar gym. Launiere knows playing in the Huntsman will help out her players and be a relief after a series of long road trips.
“You play in these tournaments on neutral courts a lot of the time, and there aren’t many fans there,” Launiere said. “The crowd will definitely be nice for our players because we’ve been in some quiet gyms.”
However you put it, this will be an important game for the Utes. It will be their last game before Pac-12 play opens up against Colorado on Sept. 23 and it will provide Utah a taste of playing against highly-ranked opponents.
The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. MT in the Huntsman Center.
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