The word domination would correctly characterize the University of Utah volleyball team?s play this weekend, as the UNLV Rebels and the San Diego State Aztecs came to Crimson Court and were met with overwhelming play by the Utes.
The Utes defeated both teams in three games. They downed the Rebels 30-27, 30 20, 30-23, while the Aztecs were completely destroyed 30 19, 30-18, 30-17.
Utah has played with a completely different demeanor at home than on the road, as evidenced by its continuing its undefeated record at home .
?There is a comfort level of playing in Crimson Court?we just play a lot better in smaller arenas,? said U coach Beth Launiere.
UNLV came in looking to break the streak on Friday night, on the strength of great individual play.
Sheila Clemente entered the match as the nation’s top blocker and made her presence felt at the net. Clemente only tallied 2 solo blocks but influenced the way Utah attacked.
?We had to run sets away from her because she is so good,? Launiere said.
However, Utah did more than enough to compensate on offense, with six players having 6 kills or more.
McKelle Stilson, Alisa Geddes, Sylva Strzinkov, Adrianne Bradley-Drake, Kim Turner and Katrena Ellett each had excellent numbers against the Rebels.
Geddes played very well on both offense and defense, with 11 kills, an attack percentage of .429 and a match-high 8 digs.
?Alisa is not our primary scorer because she has so many other things to do on the court, but she was unstoppable today,? Launiere said.
The primary setter for the Utes was sophomore Jackie Morrill, who totaled 27 assists, while freshman Kelsie Kartchner totaled 21 assists.
The Utes wound up with a team attack percentage of .352, while the Rebels were held to .268.
On Saturday, the Aztecs came into Crimson Court after a tough loss to BYU the night before, and there were definite after-effects of playing such a high-ranked team.
?They came in flat, and we kept the pressure on them until the end,? Launiere said.
San Diego State was completely demolished and had nothing going for it all night.
The Aztecs finished with an attack percentage of ?.018, while the Utes had a percentage of .266.
The lack of points from the Aztecs could also be attributed to the great play of the Utes at the net.
?Blocking was huge for us tonight. Alisa and Sylva blocked the best they have all season,? Launiere said.
Turner completely dominated the net with a match-high 4 solo blocks.
The Aztecs could not get anything going on offense, with only one player recording more than 5 kills, while the Utes had four players over 5 kills.
Strzinkov had a match-high 12 kills, Turner had 10 kills, while Geddes and Ellett totaled 7 kills apiece.
Morrill, who has taken over at setter after spending most of the year on the back line, had a match-high 23 assists, while Kartchner totaled 10.
?Jackie is playing very well for us, and the team has a lot more flow when she is in there,? Launiere said.
Both matches were never in doubt, and the key to both wins was having an all-around scoring effort.
?We have a lot of offensive weapons, and when we don?t pass the ball well, we can?t use them all,? Launiere said.
This weekend, the Utes used all their offensive weapons, which led to complete domination and improving their record to 11-4 overall and 5-2 in conference. The Aztecs slipped to 10-6 (4-3 in conference play), and the Rebels lost to the Cougars on Saturday, which dropped them to 5-9, 2-5 MWC.
Up next for the Utes is BYU on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Crimson Court.