While Utah’s game against BYU on Thursday was one of the biggest games of the season, this Wednesday’s Pac-12 opener against Colorado is probably the most important when it comes to the success of this team moving forward.
Every year since Utah has joined the Pac-12, they have opened conference play against the Buffs. They have split those games so far, 2-2. The Utes have the most recent victory in the overall series between these two teams. They also won the regular season finale against the Buffs last year, but Colorado came out on top after a five-set match in last season’s opener.
Colorado has an 8-4 record, and the team is riding a four-game win streak heading into Wednesday’s contest in the Huntsman. Two players who have really performed well for the Buffs this season are Alexis Austin and Gabby Simpson, who are averaging 3.72 and 3.19 kills respectively. The team as a whole is averaging 13 kills a set. The Utes have only been able to hold their opponents to 12.3 kills a set on the season and will need to step up their defense to stop Colorado’s diverse offense.
The Utes are coming off a disappointing 3-0 loss to BYU last week. Utah scored 16 points in the first set against BYU and 17 in the second set. The Utes offense couldn’t seem to find a rhythm in the game against their rival. Head coach Beth Launiere has seen this decline in the team’s offense partly because they are focusing their efforts elsewhere.
“We hit over .300 on opening weekend,” Launiere said. “But [our offense] has come to a screeching halt in the last two weeks because we started working on defense.”
On the other hand, Colorado’s defense is going to be hard to get past. They have held their opponents to 11.1 kills a set and are keeping them at a .186 hitting percentage. The Buffs also average 2.48 blocks a set. Utah will need its young outside hitters, led by sophomore Adora Anae, to step their game up and score against Colorado.
“We need to up our energy level,” Anae said. “Keep filling our individual roles, and if we do that we’re good.”
The Utes also totaled 31 errors against the Cougars. These errors really cost the team when playing against an experienced BYU squad, and Launiere is not taking it lightly. They cannot afford any costly mistakes against future opponents, and the Utes will need to improve if they want to open up Pac-12 play on a positive note.
“We’re too inconsistent in every aspect of the game right now,” Launiere said. “We just have to get better.”
Consistency will be a big factor as they make their way through a tough schedule of Pac-12 opponents. The match against Colorado will begin at 6 p.m. MT on Wednesday.
g.hanson@dailyutahchronicle.com
@Twelvegage96