The No. 17 University of Utah volleyball team is headed into their last week of Pac-12 play as they take on Oregon State and the Colorado Buffaloes. Their first match at home against the Beavers will be honoring the seniors, and the second match of the week will be in Boulder, Colorado. The team is currently 20-6, 12-6 Pac-12. They are currently ranked third in the Pac-12.
Last weekend the Utes were home, where they took two top 25 teams in No. 4 Stanford and No. 24 California. The team split the weekend after going four sets with the Cardinal and losing, then going four sets again with the Bears to take the win. Kenzie Koerber matched her carer high of 19 kills in the latter match, while Brianna Doehermann is just 17 digs away from breaking the program record for digs.
The first match against the Beavers is on Wednesday at 4 p.m., where the Utes’ three seniors Doehrmann, Berkeley Oblad and Kinga Windisch will be honored before the match. Right now Oregon State is 3-15 in Pac-12 play putting them in last place. The Beavers’ three wins come from beating Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon. Utah and Oregon State haven’t faced each other yet this season, so this will be their first and final match. Last year in 2018, the Utes took both games from the Beavers, in five sets each time. After this week’s matchup, the Beavers will head back to Oregon to take on the Ducks on Saturday.
The Utes’ final match of Pac-12 play will come next against the Colorado Buffs on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Boulder. The last time Utah went to Colorado in 2018, it was a five set battle that the Utes lost. But earlier in the season, the Utes faced Colorado for their first match of Pac-12 play at home and swept the team in three sets. Colorado is currently 4-14 in Pac-12 play after they have beaten Arizona State, Cal, Arizona and UCLA. Colorado is facing Oregon earlier in the week for their first matchup of the season.
Right now, Stanford leads the Pac-12 with a 16-2 record and Washington is in second place with a 14-4. Many teams have already clinched their ticket to the postseason NCAA tournament, but the selection show starts on Dec 1. While the Pac-12 is heavy competition, Utah has been in the top 20 for the past couple of weeks, and their chances of getting in are very high. Both Stanford and Washington will play Washington State and Cal this week.
Don’t forget to come support the seniors as they have their final match in the Jon M. Huntsman Center this Wednesday.
m.arnold@dailyutahchronicle.com
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