Utah Volleyball Begins Season With Resounding 3-0 Win Over Arizona

After entering the season with high expectations, it took a set before Utah began to settle in and show its dominance. But once the Utes did, there was no stopping them as they rolled to a 3-0 victory over Arizona on Friday night

When it was announced on Thursday that Utah was picked by the Pac-12 coaches as the preseason favorites to take home the conference title, head coach Beth Launiere wasn't worried about any extra pressure her team might feel ahead of their season opener on Friday against Arizona.

In fact, she believed that her veteran team would find a way mentally to live up to the preseason ranking that has them ranked No. 10 in the country. 

Launiere was correct as Utah, despite a slow start and trying to find a rhythm, defeated Arizona 3-0 (25-23, 25-17 and 25-15) at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Friday. It was the sort of performance that was expected with such a high national ranking as once Utah was able to get back into the groove of playing games, their experience and athleticism proved to be too much for the Wildcats.

"It's been fun with the excitement and anticipation of this week to get back on the court and play," Launiere  said. "It's been a different feeling than we've had for 13 months. I had a little nervous energy, and you just don't have those when you're hanging at home all the time. It was nice to get on the court and play."

🧹🧹🧹

We get our first win of the year! pic.twitter.com/KRu23soA0k

— Utah Volleyball (@UtahVolleyball) January 23, 2021

Utah looked very much like a team worthy of a top-10 ranking when they led by as many as six points in the opening set. But Arizona found a rhythm thanks to its serving (four aces in the opening set) and tied it at 21. But the Utes regrouped following a Launiere timeout to win 25-23.

The second and third sets played out the exact same as both teams exchanged points early on, making it seem like it was going to be a dogfight like the previous set. But each time, the Utes went on a mini run to build some separation and pulled away for the wins.

Felt good to be back competing together! Excited for more. #UteStrong pic.twitter.com/87xxesenzD

— Utah Volleyball (@UtahVolleyball) January 23, 2021

All-American Dani Drews finished with a match-high 15 kills on a .313 hitting percentage while fellow All-American Kenzie Koerber added eight kills. Setter Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres, another All-American finished with 29 assists in a very efficient performance.

The defense was led by freshman libero Vanessa Ramirez and her team-high 13 digs, while Drews and Koerber added 12 and six respectively. 

Utah returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Arizona again at 12 p.m.

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