|
|
Karolina Bartkowiak earned the MVP award and Chelsey Sandberg was named to the All-Tournament team this weekend at the Utah Classic.
|
Aug. 29, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY - The No. 17 Ute volleyball team came back from a 12-8 deficit in the fifth set against Cincinnati to clinch the Utah Classic title with a 3-2 (24-26, 25-21, 25-17, 22-25, 15-13) win in the final match of the tournament Saturday night at Crimson Court.
With the match knotted at two sets apiece, Utah (3-0) fell behind early by a score of 6-3. Cincinnati's lead grew to four points at 12-8 before a block by Cinthia Silva, Chelsey Sandberg and Jennifer Lanting started a 7-1 Utah run. The Utes' flurry included a kill by Sandberg, a service ace by Abby Simmons and a pair of kills from Sarah Hibbert. Hibbert's final kill gave the Utes the decisive 15-13 fifth-set victory.
"This was a great match for us to get into early in the season," Utah head coach Beth Launiere said. "Both teams were playing well. It wasn't a matter of errors. It was just both teams getting kills and we had to make some adjustments early. To have that kind of pressure and to be able to come out on top is such a great learning situation for us.
"I was very pleased with our effort and composure," Launiere said. "We played well."
Despite hitting .071 in the fourth set, Utah managed to outhit the Bearcats in the match, .250 to .191 and held a 13-8 advantage in team blocks.
Karolina Bartkowiak was named the 2009 Utah Classic MVP and helped Utah to its 13th consecutive home win with her second double-double in three matches this season. Bartkowiak registered 11 kills, 10 digs and four blocks for the match.
|
|
 |
"Keisha played great tonight," Launiere said. "She came up with some great passes for us at key moments."
Sandberg connected for seven kills on 17 attempts with just one error for a .353 hitting percentage. The West Jordan, Utah native also had a team-high seven blocks and four digs.
For the match, Hibbert had her second consecutive double-figure-kill match with a career-high 11 kills to go along with three digs and three blocks. Silva also connected for double figures in kills, hitting 10 kills on 23 swings for a .304 hitting percentage while also contributing four digs and three blocks.
Three different Utes posted four blocks apiece, including Danielle Killpack, Lanting and Bartkowiak.
Simmons and junior setter Stephanie Neeley combined to dish out 40 assists. Simmons gave out 22 assists and Neeley contributed 18 helpers.
There were 18 ties in a closely contested opening set. Utah took an 8-7 lead but did not regain the lead until it found a 23-22 advantage late in the set. Unfortunately, the Bearcats took four of the last five points to hand Utah its first lost set of the season, 26-24.
Three different Utes came up with two kills apiece, including Killpack, Silva and Hibbert. However, Utah was out .297 to .261 in the set, but it did manage a 3-2 edge in team blocks, led by two apiece from Sandberg and Bartkowiak.
The second set played out in a similar fashion to the first, but two late-set kills by Sandberg gave Utah a 22-18 edge en route to a 24-21 second-set win to even the match.
In the third set, the Utes used a 7-2 spurt that included two kills and a block from Sandberg to claim a 16-9 lead. Utah maintained its seven-point spread at 23-16 and eventually earned a 25-17 win in the set.
With the fourth set tied at 16, Utah put together a 4-1 run to take a 20-17 lead but Cincinnati climbed back into the lead by scoring six consecutive points which led to UC's 25-22 victory that sent the match into the pivotal fifth set.
Cincinnati (1-2) was led by 34 kills from Stephanie Niemer, who also added eight digs, two service aces and two blocks to the Bearcat cause.
The Utes host Cal Poly Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Mustangs received votes in both the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll and the Volleyball Magazine Preseason Poll.
2009 Utah Classic All-Tournament Team
Dominique Cowling, UC Riverside
Paige Mittelstaedt, Arizona State
Stephanie Niemer, Cincinnati
Missy Harpenau, Cincinnati
Chelsey Sandberg, Utah
Libero: Keisha Fisher, Utah
Most Valuable Player: Karolina Bartkowiak, Utah
2009 Utah Classic Champion: Utah (3-0)
