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Show Substitutions help Utes overcome fifth set struggles BY BEN JASAREVIC /STAFF WRITER PHOTOS BY CHRIS AYERS T he fifth set of a volleyball game, which is played to only 15 points, provides a different tactical approach for coaches and a unique mental challenge for players. Utah head coach Beth Launiere is a fan of the shortened fifth set because it involves more strategy and mind games between the two coaches. Even though Utah is 1-3 in the fifth set this year, Launiere thinks it's the way the team starts that has to do with their negative record in the decisive fifth set. "We're not losing the five set matches at the end of the matches, we're losing them at the beginning," Launiere said. "We gotta come out and take charge of things instead of just responding to everything." Three out of the four matches that have gone to five sets have started with Utah trailing 2-0 in the match, including Friday's victory over Cal. The win against the Golden Bears was the first time the Utes have come back from a 2-0 hole to win the match since Oct. 14, 2006. "I don't even know what happens because if I knew we would obviously change it," senior Shelby Dalton said about Utah falling back 2-0 before they get things going. Lineup Changes One key to forcing a fifth set on Friday night was the substitutions Launiere made coming out of the locker room. Launiere brought true freshman Eliza Katoa in for Makenzie Moea'i and transfer Brenna DeYoung in the middle for redshirt freshman Carly Trueman. These were the first changes Launiere's lineup had seen since the Utes opening Pac-12 match against Colorado on Sept. 25. In Boulder that day, Utah was down 2-0 heading into intermission and Launiere pulled Katoa for Moea'i due to Katoa's struggles passing the ball in her first ever Pac-12 match. Moea'i helped settle the team down with her passing, and the Utes forced a fifth set against Colorado but weren't able to come away with a victory. Moea'i started every match after that until Sunday against No. 1 Stanford. Katoa got the start on Sunday against the best team in the nation, and this time she didn't let her nerves get the best of her. The freshman's five kills led the Utes after the first set. The team doesn't let the recent changes affect the communication on the court, despite the lineup not seeing any changes during the first six conference matches. "I just feel as connected to them as anybody else on the court," senior Bailey Bateman said. Conference of Champions The Pac-12 is the toughest volleyball conference in the country, with seven teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, and an eighth team, Colorado, ranked at No. 26. Additionally, all 12 conference teams 12 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS EVEN DUMB RULES SHOULD BE APPLIED EQUALLY GRIFFIN ADAMS are ranked in the top 75 in RPI. In 2013, the conference broke an NCAA tournament record by getting nine teams into the tournament. Earlier this season, Kevin Wong, a Pac-12 TV commentator, said during a telecast that he believes the Pac-12 will get 10 teams into the tournament this time around. Utah is currently sitting at 10th in the conference with a 2-6 record in Pac-12 play. "I think 10 teams can deserve it, but it just depends on if the committee really wants to put 10 teams in from a conference," Launiere said. "We are right at the SPORTS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 2014 } cut off, you have to be around 40-45 [RPI ranking] to make the tournament:' Utah's current RPI ranking is 49. Jesse Agler, another Pac-12 TV commentator, mentioned that after the Cal. victory, Utah has to get on a run of victories to make the tournament. It will be no easy task for the Utes considering some of the games coming up on their schedule, starting with undefeated No. 3 Washington on Friday. blasarevic@chronicle.utah.edu @Beniasarevic ast season, I wrote an article about how the whole Johnny Manziel autograph "scandal" was absurd. I mentioned how the NCAA reached a new level of hypocrisy by preventing college kids from making money by signing their own signatures, yet the NCAA would sell jerseys that were associated with those same athletes' names. As of today, according to NCAA bylaws, no student-athlete may receive extra benefits of any kind, including signing autographs for money. Since ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas blasted the NCAA last season by exposing its hypocritical online store, the association has prevented such things from happening again. However, this does not get rid of the fact that this rule is, in fact, stupid. So you're telling me that the NCAA has multiple multi-million dollar deals with television networks, sees merchandise fly off the racks and makes a good chunk of its money thanks to college football stars such as Manziel, Jameis Winston and Todd Gurley, and those athletes don't see a dime of it? Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that the respective schools of each of these athletes do not owe them a cent. Sure, schools such as Florida State or Alabama make a ton of money off of their athletes, especially football, but they are already paying the players with a free education. That is thousands and thousands of dollars that the athlete will never have to worry about, all while getting an education from a respected university or college. Those schools have done more than enough for the athletes. But the NCAA makes all this money off of the production of the athletes that are out there on the field playing — the actual stars of college football. Who's been most talked about this season? The players — Dak Prescott, Winston, Gurley, Amari Cooper, etc. The list can go on and on with players around the country who make money for the NCAA. Do they get to see any of that money? Nope.The athletes just continue to grind it out every day at practice and every Saturday on the field while the executives and directors for the NCAA sit back and rake in the money. If that's not enough, let's throw in another layer of hypocrisy. If the NCAA really cared about players receiving money for signing autographs, it might want to dig a little deeper. Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia recently came out and said that during his career, he saw players receiving benefits "all day, every day:' He then went on to say that some signings would be worth up to $160,000 for one season. Obviously, the higher profile athletes such as Winston and Gurley have a better chance of getting caught because of the scrutiny they are under. But if the rule is going to apply to them, it should apply to all. Why is the NCAA only going after the top dogs while the puppies are left to violate the rules as they please? It's a dumb rule, but if it's going to be one, then enforce it with every athlete on every team. I agree the athletes need to follow the rules that are in place. If the NCAA says don't make money off of autograph sessions, then players need to stay away from such things. But I hate the rule. I think it is outdated, ignorant and unfair. There is no reason an athlete can't make money off of his or her name, likeness and talent, while the NCAA can. The handbook on ncaa.org says, "All association-wide governing bodies are charged with upholding and advancing the Association's core values of fairness, safety and equal opportunity for all student-athletes:' Maybe it's time the NCAA read its own handbook. g.adams@chronicle.utah.edu @GriffDoug 13 |