The defending Mountain West Conference volleyball champs will make their first appearance of the new season Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Utes’ Meet the Team Night.
U coach Beth Launiere is using the opportunity to introduce the 2003 team to fans and in hopes of not only garnering added support for the team this year, but also to get people excited for what is expected to be another strong Ute squad.
“It’s a chance for fans to get close to the team and finally see the team,” Launiere said. “We’re going to do some drills. We’re going to show fans some of the practice things that we do…we’re gonna show them our offensive system and explain it to them so they can understand the game more. And then we’re going to do a quick game. We just want to make our team more accessible to the fans.”
One of the main festivities for the night will be an open scrimmage, as people will get a chance to see the Utes, the favorites to win the Mountain West this season, in action for the first time this fall.
The Utes lost three of their key players from their 2002 squad-sophomore Sabine Schulz, senior Brenda Beal and all-conference senior Sylva Strzinkova-during the offseason and must make up for them if they expect to compete for the conference crown.
Last season, Utah missed out on the regular season MWC title, but found redemption in the conference tourney, toppling BYU to take the tournament title for the second consecutive season.
However, after advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2001, the team dropped a first-round meeting with Texas A&M to end its season on a disappointing note.
While the offseason saw plenty of change up and down the roster, those around the conference still consider Utah one of the country’s top threats.
Launiere spent much of the offseason trying to revitalize and reenergize the program. The team focused on improving its strength, conditioning and nutrition, and Launiere brought in a sports psychologist to work with the Utes on leadership skills, communication and goal-setting.
With the team’s season opening road trip to Tempe, Ariz., looming just a week away, Launiere is optimistic that the program’s offseason improvements have paid off.
“I think it’s coming together really well. I’m really pleased,” she said. “I think we’re on target with everything. It’s pretty much what I expected. Right now, the returners are really geared up. They know that we’re about ten days away, and we’re starting to play some good volleyball. They’re getting fresher from being out of two-a-days. So I think we’re right on track.”
While the Utes have been practicing for a few weeks now, they haven’t yet played in front of a crowd. That is something Launiere hopes the Meet the Team Night can take care of.
“It’s chance for them to get in their uniforms and not get nervous for the beginning of the season,” Launiere said. “We’ll go through our warmups and everything.”
Prior to last season, the Utes held an intra-squad scrimmage for fans, an event that attracted approximately 100 fans.
With the fan friendly activities that have been added for this year, people expect an even bigger turnout.
“We’ve done a lot more promotional stuff this year than we’ve ever done,” Launiere said. “Hopefully, we’ll have 300 or 400 people. I hope a lot of people come out because it should be fun.”