SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Volleyball opened the 2024 season with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-18) sweep of UTEP. The first win of the season for the Utes was highlighted by a milestone win for head coach Beth Launiere, securing her 650th career win as head coach.
Utah came out swinging early, taking a 9-6 advantage in the first set, capitalizing off a Kamryn Gibadlo kill. After UTEP began to chip away at the Utah lead, the Utes would win the race to 15, going up 15-10, coming off a Vanessa Ramirez ace. The Utes maintained a five-point advantage throughout the remainder of set, with Gibadlo putting down her fourth kill, giving Utah a 20-15 advantage. Allie Olsen helped bring the first set to a close, providing back-to-back points for the Utes with a kill and a block.
Utah trailed for the first time in the match during the early stages of the second set, 14-8. A service rally sparked by Isabelle Marco saw the Utes storm back to within one of the Miners, trailing midway through the set, 15-14. With Gibadlo back to serve, Utah rattled off seven unanswered points, taking the lead back from UTEP, 22-16. During Gibadlo’s service run, she put down both of her aces on the evening, while Olsen added two more kills to her tally.
In the third set, Utah jumped out to a quick start, capturing an early five-point advantage, 8-3. The Utes would never relinquish the lead, extending the margin out to as many as eight points, leading 24-16.
Standout…
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