Two undefeated streaks were on the line as two conference powerhouses met at Crimson Court on a night that will never be forgotten for the University of Utah volleyball team.
Colorado State came into the match with an undefeated record of 20-0, was ranked No. 6 in the nation and had just swept BYU the night before, while 15th-ranked Utah was protecting its undefeated record at Crimson Court.
But before the Utes could face the Rams, they had a quick task of defeating Wyoming on Friday night, in which they completely dismantled the Cowgirls 30-19, 30-21, 30-28.
The only question in that match was if the Utes would overlook the Cowgirls, considering the matchup with Colorado State.
But Alisa Geddes recorded a career-high 7 service aces, and McKelle Stilson had an outstanding attack percentage of .727.
Defensively, the Utes held Wyoming to an attack percentage of .065, and the Cowgirls did not provide much competition through any portion of the match.
On Saturday, Colorado State came to spoil Senior Night for the Utes, as Stilson, Geddes, Adrianne Bradley?Drake and Lenka Urbanov would play their last regular season home matches at Crimson Court.
Emotions ran high, and those emotions directly led the Utes to a massive upset of the conference leaders in five tough games, 30-22, 30-26, 24-30, 18-30, 15-12.
“That might have been the hardest-earned match we have ever won,” Ute coach Beth Launiere said.
Utah played its best volleyball of the season in the first two games.
The Utes had an attack percentage of .269 compared to the .193 attack percentage the Rams had amassed.
Utah looked to sweep the unbeaten Rams, however, Colorado State had other plans, as the sixth-ranked team in the nation flexed its muscles and dominated the next two games.
“Colorado State was so good, and they kept siding out,” Launiere said.
Not only did the Rams play great offensively in games three and four, but defensively, they held the Utes to an attack percentage of under .000 in both games.
Mountain West Conference Player of the Week Courtney Cox blew up in the two games with 10 kills.
It appeared as if Colorado State had all the momentum going into game five and were going to extend its undefeated record.
“I felt like we could win game five, and I told our team that all we needed was a run of two or three points and then we could keep siding out to win,” Launiere said.
The Utes got their run and appeared to have control of game five as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead and then extended it to 8-5.
However, the Rams won the next three points and tied the score at 8, and both teams traded points until it was tied at 10.
Then the Utes took the match by the throat as they reeled off the next 4 points.
The score was 14-12 when Katrena Ellett spiked the ball off Cox’s arms and the ball flew out of bounds to give the Utes the win.
“The ball seemed like it was going to float forever,” Launiere said.
The match was over and most probably will take the Utes to the highest national ranking they have ever received.
“It was a great match, and the play was great by both teams. We’ve found ways to win and knew this match wouldn’t be about the numbers or the stats,” Launiere said. “We knew what we needed to do, and we did it. Our defense was exceptional, and I have a lot of confidence in this team. I am very happy with this win.”
Although the Rams have most probably clinched the top seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament with the win over BYU, the Utes would not let them triumph in their own arena, and they have completed an undefeated regular season at Crimson Court.