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E-mail Head Coach Beth Launiere
The Launiere Files
Awards
AVCA West Region Coach of the Year: 2001, 2006, 2008
Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2008
Don Reddish Award: 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
Milestone Victories
300th: 3-0 vs. Idaho State, Aug. 26, 2005
200th: 3-1 vs. UNLV, Nov. 16, 2000
100th: 3-0 vs. Utah State, Sept. 20, 1996
Team Accomplishments
10 NCAA Tournament appearances: 1998-2006, 2008
NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal appearances: 2001, 2008
MWC Tournament Championships: 2001, 2002, 2005
MWC Regular-Season Titles: 2004, 2006, 2008
AVCA All-Americans: Kim Turner, third team, 2003; Arial Salvo, second team, 2006; Whitney Webb, third team, 2006; Lori Baird, third team, 2008
Under Launiere, Utah has ...
- Become the first school in the MWC to win 16 matches in conference play, and just the second to go undefeated (16-0, 2006).
- Won a school-record 28 matches in a season in 2006, including a school-record 25 straight.
- Led the nation in blocks twice (1993 and 2006).
- Recorded 13, 20-win seasons.
- Gone undefeated on Crimson Court twice (2001, 2006).
- Received its first national ranking in the AVCA poll, coming in at No. 18 in
September, 2000. Its highest national ranking was 8th in September, 2002.
- Defeated the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time, downing Stanford, 3-2, on Sept. 5, 2000.
- Made its first postseason appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), finishing in third place (1993).
Three-time AVCA West Region and Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Beth Launiere has used her renowned competitiveness, work ethic and dedication to build the University of Utah volleyball team into a perennial contender on both the conference and national levels in 19 seasons.
Launiere (391-212, .648) took over in 1990, looking to straighten out a team that won only one match in 1989. In her 19 years, she has sculpted the Utes into a top-25 power and is nine wins away from her 400th career victory.
Ten times have the Utes qualified for the NCAA Tournament, winning six Mountain West Conference titles and has recorded 13, 20-win seasons. For her efforts, Launiere has earned American Volleyball Coaches Association West Region (2001, `06, `08) and MWC (2004, `06, `08) Coach of the Year honors three times in her career.
Her ability to attract top-notch talent has helped take Utah to the forefront of the national scene. She has guided three Utes to All-America honors while eight have garnered all-region accolades. The 2005 freshman class was ranked the eighth-best in the nation by Volleyball Magazine. Many of her players have represented Utah internationally in various US Olympic development programs.
As the current AVCA President, Launiere's impact on the sport goes well beyond the court. Since 2004 she has guided volleyball on the national stage as a member of the AVCA Board of Directors. She recently finished a three-year term as the Division I Coaches Volleyball Representative and prior to that served on the AVCA's All-America committee for five years.
On the court, Utah volleyball reached new heights in 2006. It set the school record for wins in a season (28), set the school and conference record for league wins (16) and became only the second MWC school ever to go undefeated in conference play. The team won a school-record 25 straight during the season and was ranked as high as ninth in the AVCA poll. Led by Emillie Toone, who finished second in the country in blocking, Utah led the nation in blocks (3.71). Launiere was voted both the MWC and AVCA West Region Coach of the Year for the second time in her career.
Since the beginning of the MWC in 1999, Utah has won three tournament championships (2001, 02', 05) and two regular season titles (2004, 06').
Utah has also been successful on a national level. In 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, the Utes have reached the second round eight times, with regional semifinal appearances in 2001 and 2008. In 2001, Utah fell to eventual national champion Stanford, 3-1. Utah was the only team to win a game against the Cardinal during the tournament.
Launiere led Utah to its first national ranking in 2000 after defeating No. 1 Stanford, 3-2, on Sept. 5, 2000. The next week, the Utes appeared in the Sept. 18th AVCA Top 25 poll, coming in at No. 18. Utah earned its highest ranking in school history on Sept. 2, 2002, when it was ranked eighth. Launiere arrived at Utah in 1990 and took over a team that had compiled a 1-32 record the previous year. Inspiring a turnaround in the program, she recorded Utah's first winning season in seven years (18-15) by her third year in 1992. Utah earned its first postseason berth in 1993, placing third in the NIVC. The Utes as a team and senior Mikki Kane-Barton led the nation in blocks that year, a first for any Western Athletic Conference team.
In addition to three AVCA All-Americans (Airial Salvo, Kim Turner and Whitney Webb), 15 of Launiere's players have earned first team all-conference accolades, while eight have been named all-region. Turner (2002-03) and Salvo (2006) were each named MWC Player of the Year. Launiere's recruits have also rewritten the record book, holding career records in kills, attempts, assists, aces, digs, total blocks and hitting efficiency. Several players have gone on to compete in the USA Volleyball system, including Turner, Salvo, Toone, Lori Baird, Sydney Anderson, Lyndsey Henderson and Kelsie Kartchner. Danielle Leichliter trained overseas with Vanajan RC.
Prior to coming to Utah, the Grand Rapids, Mich., native was as an assistant coach at Illinois (1988-89). It went 57-12 during Launiere's stay and made it to two NCAA Tournaments, including a 1988 Final Four showing.
An assistant at Ferris State (Mich.) from 1985-87, Launiere helped the Bulldogs win three postseason bids and to a showing in the 1987 NCAA Division II Final Four.
Launiere graduated in 1985 from Aquinas College (Mich.). She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics and has a master's in sports administration from Illinois.
