Barring a single loss against Arizona State on October 2, Utah Volleyball’s Big 12 campaign is off to a solid start. On Thursday night, the Utes went into the match against Big 12 rivals Texas Christian University with a 3-1 Big 12 record and came out triumphant. However, the 3-0 sweep and improving their record to 4-1 wasn’t the only highlight of the match.

What made the victory truly special was the fact that Utah Women’s Volleyball celebrated 50 years on Thursday. To commemorate such a historic milestone with a dominant win was the cherry on the cake for the Utah Utes. What more? The team’s success comes just months after longtime coach Beth Launiere achieved a massive personal milestone in August.

However, simply calling Launiere a long-time coach would be an understatement. Now in her 35th season as the Utes Volleyball coach, Beth Launiere is among the longest-tenured coaches in NCAA history. The coach’s stats only punctuate her historic tenure as the University of Utah team’s coach. Launiere headed into year 35, with a mind-boggling 649-419 overall record.

That means Beth Launiere has helmed over 1000 games as the team’s coach. Nearly half of those wins for the 3x AVCA West Regional Coach of the Year title holder came from conference triumphs. Launiere has led Utah Volleyball to 316 conference wins, and that streak continued with the girls beating TCU 3-0 on the program’s 50th anniversary.

However, the final score-line didn’t reflect the intensity on the court. While the Utes routed TCU 3-0, each set was hard fought for the volleyball team. The Utes closed out the first two sets 25-22 at Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. However, TCU mounted a comeback in the third set, taking a 12-11 lead midway through the set. Yet, they couldn’t topple Utah’s momentum.

The women from the University of Utah squad ultimately closed the third set, 25-22, completing their sweep. However, it’s important to note that TCU wasn’t at full strength.

TCU squared up against Utah Volleyball with a serious disadvantage

The no. 17 TCU team arrived at Huntsman Center with a limited squad. Several regulars, including star player Melanie Parra, couldn’t make the starting lineup. Parra, including other seasoned players, fell ill ahead of the match with Utes, and greenhorns such as Mikala Young had to step in for the Horned Frogs. In fact, Young made her collegiate volleyball career debut at Huntsman Center.

Although Riley Weigelt and Mikaela Young showed great determination on the court, they could not fill the shoes of their more experienced seniors. Parra made a last-ditched effort to tip the scale in the Frogs’ favor in the final set. Her presence even helped TCU take the momentary lead in set three. However, it was ultimately too little, too late, as the ailing senior couldn’t fuel a comeback.

Will the outcome have been different if TCU were at full strength? While that’s impossible to say, it certainly wouldn’t have been a one-sided sweep in Utah’s favor. Now, Utah Volleyball will look to capitalize on their momentum and click another victory against BYU on Saturday.