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Senior Sylva Strzinkova led Utah with 15 kills in the win over the Cougars.
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Nov. 8, 2002
For the first time in the 28-year history of women's volleyball at the University of Utah, the Utes have defeated Brigham Young twice in regular season play in the same season. The No. 22 Utes won 3-1 (33-31, 23-30, 30-28, 30-26) at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo tonight. With the win, Utah improves to 20-6 overall and 9-3 in the Mountain West Conference.
Game one was close from beginning to end, with no team leading by more than three points. The game was tied at 28, 29, 30 and 31 before the Utes scored two straight points to seal the win. Junior captain Kim Turner notched five kills and hit for .571 on the game to lead the Utes. Junior Jackie Morrill had a game-high seven digs.
BYU went on a 7-0 run early in game two and maintained a 4-6 point lead for most of the game. Utah cut the Cougar lead to three points four times, but BYU proved too much, winning by seven. The Utes hit for .239 on the game, compared to the .452 of the Cougars. Senior captain Sylva Strzinkova led Utah with four kills.
Utah led for most of game three, but BYU took its first lead at 20-19 and built it to as many as three points before the Utes tied it at 24. There were three more ties before Utah finally won 30-28.
Game four saw Utah hold the lead or be tied throughout. The Utes' biggest lead was seven points (26-19), and a late Cougar rally fell short and Utah won 30-26. Strzinkova had a team-high four kills on the game and junior libero Jackie Morrill led all players with seven digs.
"This was a big win for us," Head Coach Beth Launiere said. "I thought it was really well-played by both teams. I'm proud of this team, to be able to come in here and win a regular-season match. This is a tough place to play. There's a lot of tradition in this program and in this gym."
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Morrill had a career-high 18 digs, while sophomore setter Kelsie Kartchner dished out 51 assists. She also added a career-high seven kills, to go along with five digs and three blocks. Sophomore Lyndsey Phillips had seven kills and six blocks on the night.
UP NEXT:
The Utes host Colorado State and Wyoming next Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16. Both matches start at 7:00 p.m. in Crimson Court.
