The Utah Volleyball team appeared in the latest NCAA poll this week for the first time this season, coming in at No. 20.
The Utes are 15-2 on the season, and are coming off of two wins over Top 25 teams. This past weekend Utah defeated No. 17 TCU and No. 18 Baylor.
Head coach Beth Launiere said she is pleased for her players, the staff and the program as a whole.
“For the body of work that we put in so far, it was time for us to be ranked,” Coach Launiere said. “I think it was a reflection of the work that we’ve done. They deserve the recognition and they were excited.”
This is the first time the Utes have been ranked since a preseason poll in 2022 where they came in at No. 22. Despite the recognition that comes with a Top 25 ranking, Coach Launiere is focused on the road to come.
“The Big 12 is a strong volleyball conference, and these next three opponents are very good,” Coach Launiere said. “Kansas is really one of the elite teams in the country putting up significant offensive numbers and we are looking forward to these challenges.”
The Kansas Jayhawks are ranked No. 8 in the country with a 14-1 record and are number one in the Big 12 with a 5-0 record. The Utes will travel to Lawrence, Kansas on October 26 for a 2 p.m CT start.
The Holy War Volleyball Version
The Utah Volleyball team heads to Provo to face the No. 24 BYU Cougars on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m MT.
This will be the 109th all time meeting between the two historic programs. BYU leads the series 77-31 with a record of 47-11 at home against the Utes.
Coach Launiere is all too familiar with this rivalry and is looking forward to the opportunity at hand.
“You throw the records and rankings out the door, I’ve been doing this long enough to know none of that matters,” Coach Launiere said. “We have to go down to BYU to play a very good volleyball team in a tough environment. We are excited about the opportunity and we are really looking forward to it.”
This will be the first time Utah and BYU face off as ranked opponents since 2021. The Utes were ranked No. 7 and fell in straight sets to the No. 15 BYU cougars back on Sept. 16, 2021.
The Utah Offensive Weapon
Kamryn Gibadlo was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week this past Tuesday, which was the first for Utah since joining the Big 12.
Gibadlo has been a consistent force for Utah all season, and something Coach Launiere says will only get better.
“The thing about Gibby is she’s becoming a player that’s not going to stay down for very long,” she said. “She’s put in so much work to develop different shots in her offensive attack. She has a number of different ways to score because she works so hard at her craft.”
Gibadlo in her last two Big 12 Matches against No. 17 TCU and No. 18 Baylor had a total of 24 kills with a hitting percentage of .309.
On the season Gibadlo has 198 total kills with a hitting percentage of .281. Gibadlo leads the Utes with 3.41 kills per set as well as 22 aces.
