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Show SPORTS Page 7 Friday, October 27,2006 COMING UP Soccer Volleyball Football Cross Country Swimming Soccer Wyoming (7-7-3) @ Utah (13-4-0) BYU (18-2) @ Utah (19-2) UNLV (1-6) @ Utah (4-4) Utah @ MWC Championships Utah @UC-San Diego Utah @ MWC Tournament Del 27.2006 Ule Field T 3 0 p m Oct. 23. ^006 Sail Lake CUy. Utah 10am. Ort 28.2006 Hov.!. 2006 Ctimton Court 7 pm. San Diego. Calif, tloon San Lake Oty. Utah All Day Oct. S . ?006 Ocl 21 20% Rlce-Etclw Stadium 2 p.m. Collision course TONY PIZZA Utah/BYU rivalry takes center stage at Crimson Court Fashionably late stopped being great Cody Brunner The Daily Utah Chronicle M y only wish, once the BoSox were eliminated from the playoffs, was to watch the Yankees' postseason go down in flames. After Detroit sank the Yanks in five I paid homage to the Tigers by watching them steamroll over Oakland the same way Arnold Schwarzenegger mowed over bad guys in "Commando." I did, however, stop watching baseball once the World Series took a Genesislong week to begin. Maybe it was Tommy Lasorda's commercials that guilted me into it, but last Wednesday I decided to drop everything and watch game four of the World Series once I left the friendly, yet unregulated climate of the Union ghetto (aka the Chronicle office) for the day. With my night comfortably planned out ahead of me, I stopped by Wendy's to pick up a grilled chicken sandwich combo and a Frosty to dip my fries in (don't knock it until you try it, because it is D-E-L-I-C delicious). As I pulled into my driveway and the snowflakes turned to hailstones, I started wondering what happened to the October weather of my youth that I remembered. At that exact moment, something dawned on me—St. Louis and Detroit aren't in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona or California, so what was there to stop either of those mid-American cities from having weather like Salt Lake City's for the World Series? When I finally plopped down in front of the TV, I found out that St. Louis was being pounded with enough rain to postpone the World Series for the first time in 10 years. Major League Baseball and the TV networks that broadcast the World Series are just plain lucky that it isn't snowing in St. Louis, because it very well could have. Before both League Championship Series were injected into the playoff system in 1969, the World Series typically started in the first week of October. Since then, the start of the World Series has been pushed back later and later in the month. In 1981, the four Division Series pushed the start of the World Series back even further, and since SeeSERIESPagelO LENNTE MAHLER/ thr DJIIV Vtah Chronicle It's on. The top two teams in the Mountain West Conference face off on Crimson Court tonight when the No. 9 U volleyball team hosts its rival, No. 17 BYU. "There aren't going to be any motivation issues for us this week," said U head coach Beth Launiere. "We just need to be prepared to play a good volleyball team and I know the energy level will be there." , The Utes come into the match after picking up a pair of victories last weekend, downing both San Diego State and UNLV to remain flawless (10-0) in conference play. Meanwhile, the Cougars head into the contest after winning their last six matches. BYU hasn't lost a match since Sept. 29 when the Utes went down to Provo and handed the Cougs a 3-1 defeat. The Utes utilized a diverse offensive attack to break through the Cougar front line and snag the victory. Outside-hitter Kathryn Lovell was one of four Utes to register more than 10 kills as she led the U with 18 in the match. BYU was without its biggest offensive threat in the match, as outsidehitter Erica Lott was absent because of a back injury. But fellow outsidehitter Chelsea Goodman filled the void for the Cougars, picking up 18 kills in the losing effort. The Cougars will have all of their weapons this time around with Lott recovering from a back injury and middle-blocker Rachel Dyer returning after missing two weeks with a foot injury. Injuries or not, Lott has been a vital piece of the Cougar offense this season, averaging 4.26 kills per game to rank second in the Mountain West. On the other side, outside-hitter Airial Salvo makes an attack against UNLV during the Utes' win Sunday. Tonight, the Utes match up against BYU at Crimson Court after defeating the Cougars 3-1 in Provo on Sept. 29. See VOLLEYBALL Page 8 New age of Utah hoops Ute women hit the practice floor with plenty of questions to answer Natalie Dicou And her winning percentage is better, too. Elaine Elliott, the U women's With 18 seasons under his basketball coach, will embark belt, Jerry Sloan is lauded as the on her 24th season at the helm longest tenured coach in all of of what has become a nationally professional sports. But another acclaimed program when the Utah basketball coach has the Utes take on Albertson College Jazz taskmaster beat by half a at home Nov. 4. During her exdecade. tensive career, the veteran coach The Qaity Utah Chronicle has come out victorious in nearly 72 percent of the games she has coached. Last march, the Elliott-led Utes advanced all the way to the Elite Eight, narrowly missing a Final Four berth when they fell in overtime to eventual champion Maryland. For Elliott, Utah's run in the NCAA tournament is an accomplishment that won't soon be forgotten. "It's still with us. It's part of this program now and it's a part of history," she said. "It's something that is who we are. It's a part' of our identity and we're going to &e HOOPS Ute soccer looks to put finishing touch . on MWC dominance Tom,Quinn The Daily Utah Chronicle LENN1E MAHLER/77* Daily Utah Chronicle *~Jen Christoffers tries to keep the ball In bounds for the r'-i/tes in Friday's win over TCU. The Utes play Wyoming at home Friday before going on to the Mountain West >; 'Tournament. The magic number is down to one. The U women's soccer team is one game away from wrapping up a second consecutive undefeated tour of the Mountain West, and all that stands between the Utes and perfection is Friday night's home game against Wyoming. The Utes have rolled through the MWC this season, using an opportunistic offense in combination with an airtight defense to topple one team after another. If Wyoming's forwards can find ways to score, they will be the first in more than a month. "This team has developed confidence," said U head coach Rich Manning. "Obviously, not allowing teams to score will do that for you." The Cowgirls, in contrast, are presently tied for third place in the MWC with an overall record of 7-7-3. Their manic-depressive season has been filled with ups and downs, making them somewhat of an enigma. Wyoming is coming off its biggest high of the season, a 1-0 win at UNLV last Sunday. With the win, the Cowgirls not only clinched a spot in the upcoming MWC tourney, they also recorded their first-ever win over the Rebels in Las Vegas. When the Cowgirls come to town on Friday night, they will be looking to make history for the second week in a row. Wyoming is 0-13 all-time against the Utes, and five of those defeats have come in Salt Lake City. In order to pull off the upset, freshman Emily Layton will need to control the midfield as well as she did last Sunday against the Rebels. In addition to scoring the game's lone goal, Layton consistently disrupted UNLV's attack. . "Emily worked really hard on both the offensive and defensive end," said Wyoming head coach Anne Moore. "She did a great job of putting pressure on (the Rebels), which was key." Although Layton is Wyoming's top offensive threat with three goals and three assists on the season, she isn't the only Cowgirl who can score. Forwards Comfort Adetoye and Christine Nagel have each contributed two goals and three assists on the season. "We are excited to get back to Ute Field and test ourselves against Wyoming," Manning said. "They have a true threat up front in Comfort Adetoye." The Cowgirls' defense, which was uncharacteristically porous one week ago hi a 3-0 loss to the Cougars, has been solid for most of the season. Junior goalkeeper Ashley Sheppard has five shutouts on the year and boasts an impressive 0.99 goals against average. "They will be coming here with a very confident road attitude," said Manning of the Cowgirls. "They move the ball very well and are always organized in the back. It should be a good game." . The Utes, meanwhile, will be counting on forwards Amanda Feigt and Adele Letro to keep Wyoming's back line under constant pressure. Letro leads the team with 10 goals on theyear, and Feigt needs one assist to break the Utes' all-time mark of 21. Lquinn@ chronicleMtah.edu |