Head Coach Beth Launiere Beth Launiere Head Coach • 17th Season • Career Record: 322-187 Competitive, hard-working and dedicated On the court in 2005, Launiere guided a all describe veteran head coach Beth Launiere youthful team to a 23-9 mark and to its sixth as she has built the University of Utah vol- NCAA second-round appearance. Along the leyball team from ground up, making it one of way, her team upset No. 17 and eventual Final the premiere programs in the conference and Four participant Santa Clara and No. 12/21 in the nation. BYU. Her Utes rallied to capture the MWC Launiere (322-187, .633) took over in 1990, Tournament title. With the league’s automatic looking to straighten out a team that won only NCAA bid came the honor of hosting fi rst- and Launiere’s Ledger one match in all of 1989. And, in her 16 years, second-round tournament matches. Utah she sculpted the Utes into a top-25 power. topped Loyola Marymount in the fi rst round PERSONAL Her last eight teams have qualifi ed for the but fell to No. 6 Arizona in second. The Utes Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich. NCAA Tournament as her squads have also fi nished the year ranked No. 25 in the fi nal High School: Northview (Mich.) won four Mountain West Conference titles. She coaches poll. College: Aquinas College has recorded ten straight 20-win seasons (11 Among the milestones attained in 2005 Bachelor’s degree: business administration and overall) and the Utah volleyball trophy case has were Launiere’s 300th career victory and economics, 1985 swelled during Launiere’s years. In addition Shelly Sommerfeldt’s 1,000th kill. Launiere University of Illinois Master’s degree: sports administration, 1989 to four MWC titles, that trophy case holds topped the 300-win plateau with a 3-0 season- Regional and MWC Coach of the Year plaques opening victory over Idaho State on Aug. 26. COACHING EXPERIENCE honoring Launiere’s efforts. Sommerfeldt fi nished her career with University of Utah Her ability to attract top-notch talent hasn’t Honorable Mention All-America laurels while Head Coach: 1990-present gone unnoticed either. She guided three Utes newcomer Salvo claimed West Region and to All-America honors (including third-team MWC Freshman of the Year honors. Both were USA Select Team selection Kim Turner) and has seen another 33 also named all-conference while another two European Spring Cup: 2003 garner all-conference accolades. Meanwhile, Ute Spikers landed on the All-MWC Tourna- the 2005 freshman class was ranked the ment team. USA/IVA High Performance Team eighth-best in the nation according to Volleyball The 2004 season was one of the most Head Coach: 1996; 2002 Magazine. Many of her players, like Kelsie successful seasons in program annals. The University of Illinois Kartchner and Airial Salvo, have represented Utes climbed to as high as No. 14 in the polls, Assistant Coach: 1988-89 Utah internationally in various US Olympic upsetting No. 6 UCLA, 3-2, and No. 7 Colorado development programs. State, 3-1. Utah went 24-7 that year and 13-1 Ferris State (Mich.) Launiere’s impact on the sport goes well in MWC play. The 13 victories were the most Assistant Coach: 1985-87 beyond the court. Since 2004, she has guided league wins in a season and netted the Utes volleyball on the national stage as a member their fi rst regular-season title in school history. AWARDS of the AVCA Board of Directors. Her tenure as Moreover, her team also rattled off a school- Coach of the Year: the Division I Coaches Volleyball Representa- record 12 straight wins. AVCA West Region, 2001 tive is a three-year appointment. Prior to that, Launiere won MWC Coach of the Year Mountain West Conference, 2004 Launiere served on the AVCA’s All-America while three spikers were all-conference picks. Don Reddish Award: 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, committee for fi ve years. Lyndsey Henderson garnered Honorable Men- 2005 tion All-America accolades while Connie Dan- gerfi eld won MWC Libero of the Year laurels. In 2003, the Utes went 22-9 and 12-2 in loop play. The Utes were ranked No. 25 nationally in the fi nal poll after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Turner ended her Utah career an All-Ameri- can in 2003 and as the school’s all-time leader in kills, total blocks, block assists and hitting percentage. An MWC preseason favorite in 2002, Utah climbed as high as No. 8 during the season, marking the fi rst time it had cracked the Top 10 in school history. Though the team fi nished third in the MWC standings, Utah went 3-0 in the MWC Tourney to claim its second straight conference tournament title and fi fth NCAA bid. During the 2001 season, Launiere led Utah to its fi rst league tournament title and its maiden trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. As a result, she was named 2001 Tachikara/AVCA 14 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH VOLLEYBALL Head Coach Beth Launiere longest winning streak in school annals up and re-written Utah’s record book. with 11 straightstraight wins.wins. Utah also equaled its The all-time top six in kills are all Launiere’s best startstart to the WACWAC season, winning its pupils, led by Turner (2000-03), Brenda Barton- fi rst three matches and going 5-2 through Whicker (1994-97), Sara Shakula (1995-98), the fi rst half of the league schedule.schedule. McKelle Stilson (1998-2001), Sharman Grant Launiere achievedachieved her 100th win in (1991-94) and Sommerfeldt (2002-05). 1996 with a 3-0 win overover Utah State on Barton-Whicker is tops in attempts, aces Sept. 20. The Utes wwentent 20-12 ooverallverall on and digs, Graciela Torres-Lopez (1996-99) is the season and amassed the most wins the all-time assists leader while Linda Byington everever as a WACWAC member with a 10-6 record. (1990-91) is second all-time in hitting. It markedmarked Launiere’sLauniere’s fi rst winning season Nine of the all-time top-10 blockers in in conferenceconference playplay and set the stage fforor school annals are products of Launiere’s sys- 10 consecutiveconsecutive winning records in league tem. Turner, Stilson and Kane-Barton (1992-93) action. all fi nished their careers among the elite block- The 1995 Utes’ 7-7 WWACAC marmarkk included ers in school history. in a 3-0 startstart to the conferenceconference season. In 2003, Turner was the fi rst-ever Ute to A 3-0 shutout of No.No. 16 BrighamBrigham YoungYoung be named an AVCA All-American (third-team) markedmarked Utah’sUtah’s fi rst defeatdefeat of a nationally- while Barton-Whicker was the fi rst in school rankedranked opponent in a decade.decade. history to be an AVCA All-District VII pick 1995. ToTo fully appreciate what Launiere has Launiere went international in the summer accomplished, one mustmust refl ect on where of 1996, taking the USA All-Star Team on a she began. The season priorprior to Launiere’sLauniere’s two-week tour of England. The team, consisting arrival,arrival, Utah compiled a 1-32 record. In her of 14-17 year-old girls, was sponsored by the fi rst season, Launiere coached the Utes USA Volleyball Youth Developmental Program. to six more wins than werewere recorded the Prior to coming to Utah, the Grand Rapids, Division I WestWest Region Coach of the Year.Year. The previousprevious year,year, and instilled a newnew competi- Mich., native was as an assistant coach at Illi- Utes (25-7) set the school mark for winning tive attitude in the program. The instantaneous nois (1988-89). It went 57-12 during Launiere’s percentage (.781). Utah was a perfect 15-0 at improvement enabled Launiere to elevate the stay and made it to two NCAA Tournaments, Crimson Court, posting the fi rst undefeated level of play and bring excitement and fan sup- including a 1988 Final Four showing. home season in school history. port back to Utah volleyball. An assistant at Ferris State (Mich.) from It’s fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament Launiere’s second season saw Utah more 1985-87, Launiere helped the Bulldogs win bid led to the Sweet 16 as the tourney came than double its wins (15-20) and in her third three postseason bids and to a showing in the to Salt Lake City. The No. 14-seeded Utes, season, she won 18 games. The 18-15 tally 1987 NCAA Division II Final Four. defeated Texas Tech in the fi rst round, 3-0, and was the fi rst winning season in seven years. Launiere graduated in 1985 from Aquinas knocked off Utah State, 3-1, for their fi rst-ever The 1993 Utes were 25-11, placing fourth College (Mich.). She earned a bachelor’s second round win. The Utes lost in the regional in the WAC. Utah earned its fi rst postseason degree in business administration and econom- semifi nal, 3-1, to eventual champion Stanford. berth, placing third in the NIVC. Both the Utes ics and has a master’s in sports administration Utah was the only team in the tournament to as a team, and senior Mikki Kane-Barton, led from Illinois. win a game versus the Cardinal as the Utes the nation in blocks, a fi rst for any WAC team. The 43-year-old Launiere is the fi fth coach fi nished No. 15 in the fi nal coaches poll. In 1994, Launiere won her 81st career in the 31-year history of Utah volleyball and The 23-8 fi nish in 2000 was buoyed by a match at Utah to become the winningest coach has a tenure longer than any of her predeces- 3-2 win over No.