At every practice, Utah volleyball head coach Beth Launiere has a whiteboard sitting just off of the Crimson Court as the team runs through drills. On this whiteboard are strategies for the week, specific pointers for each individual player and other bits and pieces of information for that day’s practice. Last week, there was a new addition to the board.
As the team was coming off another losing weekend, the players were doing their best to stay motivated and remember why they were playing. Launiere tried out many different methods to keep her team on-track. She had her players practice yoga. She gave them days off. Then, during last week’s practices, she had them think about something very important. She wrote on the whiteboard, “What is Utah Volleyball?” and left 10 numbered spaces below the question.
The players were allowed to fill the spaces with what they felt answered the question, but after they finished, Launiere took the marker into her own hands.
“I’ve been here the longest; I’ll tell you what I think,” Launiere said as she filled out her top three points that defined Utah volleyball.
Her first point was tradition. Utah volleyball was founded in 1975 and has won over half of its games during that time, while advancing to the NCAA tournament 12 times. Banners ringing the top of the Crimson Court show how successful Utah has been. Numerous conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances and All-American banners hang from the walls. Kendall Cygan, who has been a part of this tradition for four years, knows what it means to her and her team.
“It kind of brought us back to who we were and brought us back to our foundation,” Cygan said. “Remembering the traditions was a big thing for us. We definitely have a lot of traditions, and being a part of that is an awesome feeling.”
The second point: unity and family. This is something Cygan noticed when she first decided to join the Utes.
“We talk about how recruiting trips at other schools are businesslike. When you come here, you feel more connected with the people, even if you’re not on the team yet,” Cygan said.
To these players, their teammates are their family. These players stick together, and they have each other’s backs. They love playing with each other, and their camaraderie brings this team together in times of struggle. During their off moments in practice and games, these players are together, smiling and laughing almost constantly. This family makes Utah volleyball what it is on and off the court.
The last point Launiere made — blue-collar work ethic in conjunction with having fun.
“We always talk about working hard and having fun,” Launiere said. “Those two things go hand-in-hand. When you work hard and win volleyball matches, you have fun.”
Then Launiere pointed out a problem she saw during the team’s losing streak.
“To be honest, they weren’t having fun out there,” Launiere said. “If it’s not fun, it’s not worth it — it’s too much of a grind.”
Work ethic is something this team does not lack. These players put in work, day in and day out. If they aren’t practicing, they are watching film or hitting the gym. They never stop working, but they never stop smiling either. They love this sport.
Oddly enough, Launiere didn’t mention one of the things that is usually associated with Utah Volleyball — winning.
“Winning was not one of the top three because winning goes away,” Launiere explained. “You remember all the other things.”
Winning will fade away, but the family that these players are creating, the memories they are creating — those will stay with them forever.
@Twelvegage96