For the first time this season, the U volleyball team gets to experience one of the best things in sports: a homestand.
After playing 12 of their first 17 matches in the 2005 season on the road, the Utes (11-6, 3-3 MWC) return to Crimson Court on Friday to start a string of seven home matches in their next eight contests.
Starting off the deluge of home matches will be weekend battles with New Mexico (11-5, 3-3) and Air Force (4-16, 0-6). The Utes have already visited both squads earlier in the season, suffering a five game setback to the Lobos, while knocking off the Falcons in three.
“It’s huge to be at home as much as we are in the second round (of conference play),” Ute head coach Beth Launiere said. “We need to take advantage of it, get on a roll and get as many wins as we can.”
Getting on a roll has been tough for the young Utes this season. Unlike last year when they had separate win streaks of six and 12 matches, this season their longest winning streak has been four.
“Now that we are home, we can focus on our practices,” Launiere said. “We are at the point where we can get a lot better in the next few weeks.”
Getting better is definitely going to be important for the Utes as they head into the backstretch of their conference slate. They currently sit at 3-3 in conference, good enough for a fifth-place tie. While it is unlikely they will repeat as regular season MWC championships, they still are in the running for a high seed in the conference tournament.
The Utes still have at least one meeting with all the teams in front of them, with two still to come against SDSU and UNLV.
First place BYU and second place Colorado State both have one more match against Utah, with both contests at Crimson Court.
Ute senior Shelly Sommerfeldt has a good shot at making some individual history this weekend. She enters Friday’s match nine kills shy of moving into eighth place in the U record books.
The Utes’ match with New Mexico is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., while the Air Force Falcons come to Crimson Court on Saturday at 5 p.m.