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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 8 Tuesday, November 27, 2012 FOOTBALL VOLLEYBALL Team's season full of highs and lows Carson Huiskamp STAFF WRITER The Utah volleyball season has been a roller coaster ride. It had its ups and downs, its twists and turns, and for much of the season it was hard to tell which team was going to show up for the Utes. Utah head coach Beth Launiere said she is pleased with one aspect of Utah's play this season — the Utes never quit. There might have been some frustrating moments, such as losing six of eight matches that went to five sets, but the Utes never seemed to give up throughout the whole year. "I thought we learned how to play more consistently," Launiere said. "We definitely have our issues, but the team came together all year. At the beginning of the year they were all good friends, but they still needed to learn how to battle." Utah finished the year 14-19 overall and 5-15 in conference play and had many matches that went all the way to the end. The Utes went to five sets eight times, all of which they lost. "We had some really poor matches — like Colorado and our five-game loss to Arizona at home — where I thought if we had just played normal we would have won those games," Launiere said. Utah just couldn't seem to figure out how to win the close games. But it had its high notes of the season as well. The Utes swept Arizona State this year, a team that in the past they never seemed able to beat. They also defeated rivals Utah State and Colorado. "The good news for us is last season we got swept a ton," Launiere said. "At least this year we took sets against the [top] Pac-12 teams." Utah was only swept five times in Pac-12 play this year, and won at least one set in each of its final eight games. In comparison, the Utes were swept a whopping 13 times in their inaugural season, including six in a row to start conference play. "Last spring we attacked making our offense better and it really paid off," Launiere said. "Hitting percentage is huge in this game. continued from Page 6 season. Freshman quarterback Travis Wilson showed promise replacing senior Jon Hays following Wynn's career-ending injury. His transition to starter was a rocky road, but players such as tight end Jake Murphy, receiver Kenneth Scott and running back Kelvin York are fellow underclassmen Wilson can rely on in years to come. Perhaps more important than his talent or the weapons surrounding him, however, was Wilson's accountability in frustrating losses. "My preparation wasn't good enough," Wilson said after a crucial loss to Washington in which he threw only 55 yards. "I thought since we had a streak going it would be a lot easier. That's where I fell short." Although the Utes certainly fell short in 2012, it is hard to point to any single defeat as tipping the scales. Without an overtime loss at Utah State or a squandered 14-point lead that cost a win against USC at home, the Utes' season could be drastically different ... almost. d.siddoway@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @D_Sidd BULLINGER continued from Page 6 CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO Erin Redd and the Utes finished the season with an overall record of 14-19 and finished 5-15 in conference play. It's a big indicator of things." Utah placed toward the middle of the conference at a .232 hitting percentage for the year, much improved from the team's .192 average last year. "I thought [this season] we learned how to play more consistently," Launiere said. "We learned how to bring it day in and day out." Next season looks to be very hopeful for the Utes, as they lose just one senior, setter McKenzie Odale, from the roster. Most importantly, the Utes return two of their best outside hitters in Morgan Odale and Chelsey Schofield for next year. They also return their two main top defensive leaders in middle blockers Erin Redd and Bailey Bateman, The only letter you actually want to write... Share your opinion with The Daily Utah Chronicle! Write a letter to the editor at www.dailyutahchronicle.com/letter-to-the-editor/ who created havoc with opponents all year. "I think the sky is the limit for this team," Launiere said. "There is no reason we can't be successful. Our goal is to reach the [NCAA] tournament, and I believe this team is motivated and can do that." c.huiskamp@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @CarsonHuiskamp IS YOUR WRITING AS UP TO PAR,s, AS YOUR 0 A Retro Prices! Nov. 24-30 GAME For more information contact j.bullinger@chietnide.utah.edu 11 have produced a winning team as he was only allowed to recruit after one full season. Thus, it was deplorable for anyone to expect him to begin winning in just two seasons. Furthermore, Embree's team behaved well. There were no issues of drug use or crime or even general ill-mannered behavior. In other words, there was no reason to fire Embree. Washington State made a similar move a season ago, and things haven't exactly been peachy in Pullman, Wash. Now Colorado will go through a familiar process. It will try to hire a coach who will restore the program to its '9os glory, but coaches will of course turn down the offer. The team is already bad, but now Bohn can't even promise job security. The new coach will inherit a situation just as bleak as Embree's, but he knows unless he can win quickly — which he can't — Bohn will pull the plug early. Nick Saban wouldn't be able to meet Bohn's expectations. Thankfully for Ute fans, Hill isn't as shortsighted as Bohn. It's too early to know if Krystkowiak is a great coach, but there is no doubt he will be given far more time to improve than Embree was. The Runnin' Utes won't be contenders this season, and any success will be padded by a weak schedule, but there is no chance that Krystkowiak gets fired, especially if his players behave as well as Embree's. Most administrators understand one plus one doesn't equal three. A college coach can't feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, but Bohn expects his employees to produce wins like a Messiah. Improving a program is a process, and it takes four years before a coach has his full fingerprint on a program. Embree wasn't playing with players he recruited, rather he was tasked with improving an already poor football team. It's a shame Embree was let go, but Bohn can correct his own mistake by lowering expectations for the next coach. If he can't do that, then expect the Buffaloes to continue struggling while patient athletic directors let coaches like Krystkowiak slowly build a program. j.bullinger@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @jakebullinger Contests! Es-r. I972w DAMN GOOD BREw Dec. 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