No. 9 Volleyball Heads to LA for Big Weekend Against No. 17 UCLA
Match 13-14: No. 9 Utah (10-2) at No. 17 UCLA (10-4)
Friday, Mar. 12 and Sunday, Mar. 14 | 3 p.m. MT and 1 p.m. MT
Salt Lake City, Utah | Huntsman Center
Watch: UCLA Stream
BETH CLOSING IN ON 600 WINS
Head coach Beth Launiere came into the season with 588 career wins. With the 10-2 start, she is now sitting at 598 wins and just two away from 600.
In her 31 seasons, she has built Utah's program to what it is now. The reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year has also been named AVCA Region Coach of the Year four times and has led Utah to 18 20-win seasons.
DANI DOMINATION
A big reason why Utah is 10-2 is because Dani Drews has been playing at a very high level.
The two-time All-American has 226 kills hitting .264.
Against Arizona State, she posted 51 kills for the weekend hitting .358 overall. In Friday night's match, Drews had the fourth 30-kill match of her career.
With that effort, she was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks to start the season.
She is currently sitting at 1,569 career kills giving her the third most kills in program history. Since starting regularly her sophomore year, Drews only has three matches she hasn't reached double-figure kills.
That career kills mark is also the third most among active career leaders in the entire NCAA.
2,000 ASSISTS CLUB
Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres has become the ninth member of the 2,000 assists club at Utah.
The junior earned her 2,000th career assist in the final point against Cal.
In her first season starting in 2019, Ka'aha'aina-Torres set the program record with 1,518 assists.
Ka'aha'aina-Torres is not only getting it done running the offense, but is also leading the team in digs with 131.
EFFICIENT OFFENSE
Utah has hit .254 as a team so far this season with five of the 12 matches over .300. The .254 mark is the second highest in the Pac-12 right behind Washington.
The Utes are also third in the Pac-12 in kills per set averaging 13.43.
Another element of Utah's offense is its strong serve. The team has a Pac-12 leading 82 on the season and is averaging 1.86 per set. Kenzie Koerber leads the Utes with 20 this season.
UP NEXT
Utah will play one match on the road at Colorado on Friday, March 19 before hosting them on Sunday, March 21. Both matches will be on the Pac-12 Network.