SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah volleyball team was in action for the first time this season in the Huntsman Center at the Red/White Scrimmage, where the Red Team topped the White Team with a 3-1 win Saturday afternoon.
 
The Red Team took the first set 25-18, but the White Team came back to even the match 1-1 after taking the second set 25-16. The Red Team secured the match after picking up wins in the third and fourth sets, 25-16 and 25-18.
 
"This group is a very even-killed group. We are mixing and matching so much that we aren't necessarily looking out for the standout performances but rather which lineups could be best for us. We have a lot of options which is a very good thing to have," said head coach Beth Launiere.
 
With five Utes notching double-digit kills on the day, senior Adora Anae paced the squad totaling 13 kills on Saturday for the Red Team, while also tallying 9 digs and five blocks. Freshman Shannon Scully finished the day with 11 kills for the White Team while having a team-high .450 hitting percentage. Scully also finished with 11 digs.
 
Junior Lauga Gauta recorded 11 kills and 12 digs, senior Carly Trueman tallied 10 kills, and freshman Dani Barton had 10 kills (seven with Red, three with White).
 
Sophomore Bailey Choy finished with 32 assists for the Red Team, while freshman setter Camryn Machado totaled 21 assists (10 with Red, 11 with White).
 
Sophomores Torre Glasker and Brianna Doehrmann finished the intrasquad scrimmage with 12 digs each, while Choy also added in 11 digs. Senior Tawnee Luafalemana controlled the net, ending the match with 11 total blocks. Luafalemana also posted 7 kills on a .316 hitting percentage for the Red Team.
 
"We are playing very good defense right now. We have worked a lot on our defense because it was an area that we were not as strong at last year. That really showed today. Our offense, both in system and out of system, is stuttering a little bit but we can definitely get that cleaned up. The offense is just a little behind and we really need to focus on that heading into Kentucky next weekend," said Launiere.
 
 "With the next week of practice, now being done with two-a-days and starting to get limited amount of reps in, we believe the sense of urgency will be there a little more. We will be ready to go for next weekend. Some of our freshmen were nervous for the scrimmage today, so it was great to get this under their belt. This is a very valuable event that we do here," stated Launiere.
 
Utah opens the regular season next Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25-26, at the Bluegrass Battle in Lexington, Ky. Utah will play three matches with the first two to be played on Friday against Cincinnati and tournament host, Kentucky. Utah will close out the tournament on Saturday against Arkansas State.