Lauren Jardine Joins Utah Volleyball

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah volleyball program has signed transfer Lauren Jardine, head coach Beth Launiere announced Monday. Jardine, a rising sophomore, is set to return to her home state where she was the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year and 2020 USA Today Player of the Year for the state of Utah at Lone Peak High School.

"We couldn't be more pleased to have Lauren Jardine coming back to Utah to be a Ute," said head coach Beth Launiere. "She is an elite athlete with great work ethic, passion and drive. Her national championship experience at Wisconsin is an experience that many student-athletes won't ever have, and the value cannot be measured."

Launiere continued, "We're excited that she has chosen to continue her career at Utah to create new memories and reach new goals. We can't wait to get started with her in our gym and for her to be a part of our program!"

Jardine spent her first collegiate season at Wisconsin and was a part of the Badgers' national championship team this past fall. The Highland, Utah native played in 14 matches and 24 sets, and she recorded a career-high 14 kills on a .565 hitting percentage against Northern Illinois.

Prior to beginning her college career as a Badger, Jardine was ranked No. 15 on the PrepVolleyball Top 150 list. After leading Lone Peak High School to the 2020 Utah 6A State Championship, Jardine was named the Deseret News' Ms. Volleyball and an Under Armour First-Team All-American to go along with her player of the year awards aforementioned. She was also a MaxPreps Second-Team All-American following her senior year.

She finished her senior season with 496 kills, 276 digs, 43 blocks and 49 aces. During her junior season, Jardine posted yet another impressive campaign at Lone Peak with 431 kills, 128 digs, 46 blocks and 35 aces. She was a 2019 and 2020 First-Team All-State selection, along with a 2019 PrepVolleyball All-American, and was a finalist for the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year award. Also during her high school career, Jardine collected AVCA National Player of the Week honors twice.

She played competitively for Club V Volleyball where she guided her team to a second-place finish at the Junior National Championships in 2020. The daughter of Rich and Paula Jardine was also a two-time Academic All-Region and All-State honoree. She will join the Utes this summer in preparation of the 2022 fall season.