The NCAA Tournament starts tonight, and you might think the University of Utah volleyball team would be nervous about the opening match with Texas Tech and come out with the jitters.
Coach Beth Launiere disagrees.
“I don’t think that we will be nervous because this is the funnest time of the year, and even if we lose, we know we have had a great year,” she said.
But that does not mean the Utes are just going to lay down and die in the tournament. In Texas Tech, the Utes face a foe they are very familiar with.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the Utes last year. Tech also faced Utah earlier this season, losing in four games.
Texas Tech comes into the match with a record of 18-13. It is one of eight teams to make the NCAAs out of the Big 12, which ties a record.
“I think we have to prepare for this team kind of like we did last time because they still play a similar style to what they played at the beginning of the year,” Launiere said.
One major difference in the match this time will be the loss of Red Raider star Yolanda Cumbess. Cumbess left the team on Oct. 6 for personal reasons.
At the Utah Classic, Cumbess was named to the all tournament team, as she recorded 14 kills against Utah.
Without Cumbess, the team has lost its dominant force in the middle and own a sub-par record of 9-8 since her absence.
But Texas Tech is still a formidable opponent without their lost star.
“They went through a strong Big 12 schedule, so I know that they will be ready to play us,” Launiere said.
Although freshman players are not usually relied upon to come up big on the attack in the NCAA Tournament, the Red Raiders will need great play out of freshman outside hitter Kelly Johnson.
Johnson only put up one kill in six attempts against the Utes in their September match-up. However, she has seen a steady rise in minutes since. Lately, she has been on a tear, as she rang up 20 kills on Baylor and finished the season with 17 kills against Texas A&M.
Melissa McGehee has been a consistent 10-kill scorer throughout the season, and will diversify the attack for Texas Tech.
But Utah’s defense has played very well in the last weeks of the season.
Kim Turner has been dominant on the block, and with Adrianne Bradley-Drake and McKelle Stilson guarding the net, Texas Tech will have a very tough time getting clean attack situations.
The height advantage the Utes have on Texas Tech is not extraordinary, but will make a difference in the match. Turner, Stilson, Bradley?Drake and Sylva Strzinkov will have a significant advantage over any block that comes their way.
“They play good defense, and I know that [coach] Jeff [Nelson] will prepare them well for the match,” Launiere said.
Techster Heather Justice was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last year for her amazing ability to dig any ball out of the court, but she has not performed to that status this year. However, when she played Utah, she racked up 15 digs, although her defensive effort alone will not result in a Red Raider victory tonight.
Texas Tech does not outmatch Utah in any area of the court and will have a tough time pulling this one out.
The only team that can beat Utah is the one looking at them in the mirror. If the Utes lose, it will be because of careless mistakes they showed at the beginning of the season.
“I think we have played well in the NCAAs the past few years and have learned from that experience. We should be able to play very well against Texas Tech,” Launiere said.
The match starts at 8:00 p.m. at Crimson Court.