Salt Lake City — Utah volleyball’s sweep of the Utah Classic opening weekend wasn’t just about wins — it was about composure. The Utes went 3–0 against No. 24 Dayton, Lafayette and Washington State, and head coach Beth Launiere left impressed with how her young roster handled itself.
“I was pleasantly pleased with how the weekend went,” Launiere said. “We were starting and playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Honestly, I thought we showed really nice composure. We executed at a high level and kind of met every challenge as it came. So, yeah, I was very pleased.”
The Utes went 3-1 against Dayton, the only team to push the Utes to a fourth set last weekend. Against Lafayette, the Utes never let off the gas, cruising to a 25-17, 25-16, 25-14 sweep. Utah trailed by as many as eight in the opening set before storming back to win in three against Washington State, clawing through tight finishes in all three frames (25-22, 25-23, 25-22).
Kamryn Gibadlo was the centerpiece. She finished with 21, 15 and 17 kills across the three matches, including a .500 hitting percentage against Lafayette. Her consistency set the tone.
“She was just ready for this year,” Launiere said. “We knew she was ready to go to another level. She had a great offseason, a great summer, played high-level volleyball with USA Volleyball. She was ready, and it showed.”
Utah also found production in unexpected places. Freshman Allie Grossenbach forced her way into the lineup and made the most of her opportunity.
“She’s had a really nice preseason and really has kind of exceeded expectations,” Launiere said. “She’s a little bit of a silent assassin. We don’t set her a ton, but she keeps putting up really high efficiency numbers, and she’s a big block. She’s getting thrown in the fire a bit, but she deserved it.”
In the back row, libero Levani Key-Powell made her presence known immediately with 23 digs in her debut. “Levani was doing great,” Launiere said. “She played libero and just really anchored us defensively.”
Thursday featured the Utes’ stiffest challenge yet at the Huntsman Center: No. 10 Texas A&M. The Aggies returned nine seniors from last year’s Sweet 16 team, led by senior opposite Logan Lednicky, who averaged 4.47 kills per set in 2024 and opened this season with 22 kills against Minnesota.
“They’re very athletic and physical,” Launiere said after the Utah Classic. “They have two very good middles, and their opposite is the real deal. For us, it comes down to serving well and defending. We’re just going to have to scheme a little bit and just go right at them.”
The No. 21 Utes would fall 3-0 to No. 10 Texas A&M for their first loss of the season. Gibadlo led Utah with 12 kills in the loss.
Next up for Utah is an in-state trip to Logan to battle Utah State on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
For Launiere, the Utah Classic wasn’t just an undefeated start — it was a snapshot of a young team showing maturity well beyond its years.
