The tests don’t stop coming for Beth Launiere and the University of Utah volleyball team. After winning the first Mountain West Conference title in school history, the 13th-ranked Utes will now head to California to compete in the Banker’s Classic, which will begin on Nov. 23.
Utah will match-up against ninth-ranked Hawaii in the first round of the tournament and will face either 15th-ranked Pacific or Fairfield the very next day.
“We’ll all be fighting for a better seed going into the national tournament, and hopefully this tournament will help with that,” Launiere said.
The Utes will definitely be getting true national competition, as Hawaii is 26-4 and did not lose one match in Western Athletic Conference play.
Although the Utes have played against players such as Colorado State’s Angela Knopf and BYU’s Nina Puikkonen, Hawaii’s Kim Willoughby may outclass them all.
Willoughby is averaging, 7.03 kills (on a .356 hitting percentage) and 3.61 digs per game. She had 26 kills, 17 digs and an attack percentage of .511 in the WAC Championship match.
However, Hawaii will need more than one player to matchup against what has become an amazing block for the Utes.
That’s where Rainbow Maja Justin will have to step in, as she is averaging 3. 96 kills per game for Hawaii.
After the MWC title match, CSU coach Tom Hilbert credited Utah’s defense as “the toughest block we’ve faced this year,” and the Utes will need to play on a similar level if they are to finally defeat the team that has eliminated them from the past three NCAA Tournaments.
MWC Tournament MVP and Player of the Week Kim Turner will anchor the U’s defensive front, along with Adrianne Bradley-Drake and McKelle Stilson.
“It will be nice to play them at a neutral court, and I am expecting some good competition,” Launiere said. The tournament will be the last volleyball matches before the NCAA Championships take place.