Beth Launiere has been the head of Utah’s volleyball program for 26 years now, and she is approaching a career milestone that not many coaches reach — her 500th career win. Launiere currently has 498 wins in her head coaching career and has reached this mark with a .616 winning percentage, showing how truly successful she has been with the Utes’ program.

Launiere started out her coaching career as an assistant at Ferris State College in 1985. In 1988, she moved to Division I volleyball as an assistant with Illinois. In her two years with Illinois she helped the Illini compile a 57-12 record and reach the NCAA Tournament both years, including a Final Four appearance in 1988. Then Launiere decided to head West to take a job where she would be the top dog.

In 1990, Launiere moved to Utah to become the head coach of a Ute team that had gone 1-32 the season before. When asked about what her goals had been as the new head coach, Launiere had a simple answer.

“To win two games,” Launiere said.

Launiere, a Michigan native, didn’t have a clue how long she would actually remain in Utah.

“I didn’t know anything about the state of Utah before I moved here,” Launiere said. “I didn’t have any expectation to stay here as long as I have.”

Launiere quickly realized how good the job that she took for the U really was.

“I remember when we won two matches everyone was so excited,” Launiere said. “It was a perfect job for a first-year coach.”

Launiere got her first win on Sept. 4, 1990 against Fresno-Pacific, and she didn’t look back. Launiere increased her win total each year until 1992 when she led the Utes to their first winning season in five seasons. In 1998, Launiere coached the Utes to their first NCAA tournament berth in the program’s history. Launiere kept her team playing at a high level, and they made the NCAA Tournament every year thereafter through 2006. That year was arguably one of Launiere’s finest performances as a head coach, with the Utes winning a school-record 28 matches, including a stretch of 25 straight.

Launiere has had some notable victories in her career, including beating Utah State in Utah to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in 2001 and defeating No. 1 Stanford in 2000 to gain Utah’s first national ranking. But there is one in specific that stands out in Launiere’s mind.

“My 400th,” Launiere singled out as one of her most memorable victories. “It was against BYU, and we were down two sets to one. We fended off four match points to get the win. We were dead in the water, and the team found a way to come back and win it.”

Launiere’s current players know what a great coach she is, most notably Kendall Cygan, who has been coached by Launiere for four years now.

“She’s definitely an emotional coach, which is great in times when we need it,” Cygan said. “She is always right alongside the team. She has full support for us, and we trust her 100 percent. She is always looking out for what is best for the team.”

Tess Sutton also added her sentiments to Cygan’s comments.

“I really like that [Launiere] is very intense,” Sutton said. “She knows what she wants from her team and how she wants her team to play.”

With two more wins, Launiere will reach her 500th win and will leave yet another mark on Utah’s volleyball program.

“It’s not something that you set out to do,” Launiere said. “It’s bizarre. You don’t set out to do it. You just stick around.”

Launiere has had plenty of reasons to stay around.

“I love this university,” Launiere said. “I love this city and this athletic department. I’ve always felt like this is the place to keep bringing more success. That was the goal.”

Launiere has definitely brought continual success to this program, and she hopes to do that for many years to come.

g.hanson@dailyutahchronicle.com

@twelvegage96

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