Two nights and two memorable wins for the Utah volleyball team. It was a long time coming, but in the second win of this weekend for the Utes, head coach Beth Launiere recorded her 500th career win with this program with a 3-1 win over Oregon State on Sunday.
As the match started, the Huntsman Center felt pretty empty; only a little more than 400 fans attended the match. This was the lowest attendance mark for a volleyball match in the Huntsman this season, but that didn’t stop the Utes from playing some inspired volleyball.
That said, the first set didn’t go exactly the way Utah had hoped. Oregon State took an early 8-3 lead and continued to play well for the rest of the set. The Utes continually fought back, even gaining enough ground to get within one, 17-16, but couldn’t pull off the win for the set. They ended up dropping the first set 25-19.
But the team bounced back in set No. 2. They walked onto the court for the second set and started to play great volleyball. At one point Megan Shughrou, the new libero starter, even attempted to jump over the entire bench to get her hand on a ball that had flown that direction. The Utes were running, diving and jumping for every ball and did not looked tired as they kept up this high energy of play for the entire night.
The second set featured 11 tie scores and three lead changes, but the Utes finally pulled out the win 25-22 to tie things up at a set apiece.
In the third set, the Utes’ energy paid off even more. They scored the first point of the set and didn’t let go of the lead. Utah remained in control and never let the Beavers get closer than within two points.
Through those first three sets, Adora Anae proved why she is the star of this young team. She recorded 20 kills and after the fourth set, she added eight more for a total of 28 kills, breaking her previous school record of 27. On the other side, OSU’s Mary-Kate Marshall, who scored 30 kills on the Utes the last time these two teams met, ended the match with just 14 kills and was held in check the entire time.
“[Anae] was an absolute workhorse for us,” Launiere said. “We’re relying heavily on her, but she keeps coming through and getting better. We’re going to keep going to her.”
Launiere definitely kept turning to Anae in crunch time. Late in the fourth set, the Utes fought their way to set point at 24-20. Down the stretch, they went to Anae almost every play for a kill, and when it counted, she came through. Her 28th kill came on the final point that secured the win for the Utes and gave Launiere her 500th career win.
As the players ran onto the court and finished up high-fiving Oregon State, they gathered around Launiere and made her the center of a massive team hug. Then, when they broke up, Launiere was greeted by a stadium full of fans holding up signs commemorating this momentous achievement. There may have only been 400 people in the stands, but it felt as if there were thousands cheering for Launiere as she received a trophy on the court.
“With the four years I’ve been here, I’ve been along her side for a lot of the wins and I’m happy to see her accomplish it,” Kendall Cygan, who recorded 30 assists in the match, said. “It’s an amazing feeling. You can see how happy she is and how grateful she is for everything we’ve done.”
Launiere gave a short speech after taking a photograph with her team. Then, she moved to the sideline as a moving video tribute was played on the video board. Afterwards, Anae focused on how big this win was for her coach rather than her own personal achievement.
“It reminds us as teammates that she has been working here for a long time,” Anae said. “She definitely deserves recognition for all she does for the team and the program.”
When asked about her own performance, Anae was quick to shower her team with praise instead.
“I give all the credit to my teammates and coach,” Anae said. “I think we all accomplish it together as a team.”
This win is big for Launiere, for the team and for Utah Volleyball as a whole. It definitely proves that this team is in the right hands.
“The future is bright,” Launiere said. “People thought when we came in to the Pac-12 we wouldn’t do very well but we did well pretty fast. We knew it was going to be a tough year but we’re building for the future for sure.”
@Twelvegage96