Utah's five major college volleyball teams will be competing in the three-day round-robin Beehive Classic tournament this weekend.
Brigham Young University is hosting the event, with the University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State College and Southern Utah State College also participating.All matches are scheduled for BYU's Smith Fieldhouse, with high school volleyball teams invited to meet the collegiate players and coaches at a special post-tournament reception after Saturday night's championship match.
On Thursday, SUSC meets Utah at 2 p.m., Weber State faces BYU at 4 p.m., Utah State plays Utah at 6 p.m., and SUSC squares off against Weber State at 8 p.m.
Friday's three matches have USU versus SUSC at 4 p.m., BYU against Utah at 6 p.m., and Weber State meeting USU in the 8 p.m. nightcap.
Saturday's competition has been divided into two segments, with the morning and early afternoon contests concluding the round-robin format and the evening matches serving as consolation and championship affairs.
At 10 a.m., BYU is pitted against Utah State, with Utah and Weber State featured in the noon pairing. And the host Cougars return at 2 p.m. to meet SUSC.
At 6 p.m., the two teams with the third- and fourth-best match records will play for the consolation championship. The top two squads take over at 8 p.m.
in the Beehive Classic championship.
BYU and Weber State are considered two of the favorites to challenge for their respective conferences - the High Country Athletic Conference and the Big Sky Conference.
The defending HCAC champion Cougars are working to replace two-time All- American setter Mariliisa Salmi, but have a pair of All-Americans in middle blocker Dylann Duncan and outside hitter Jill Plumb returning from last year's 34-5 team.
Weber State returns five starters from the 1987 squad that finished 24-12, highlighted by Big Sky kill leader Kim Benesh, a 5-11 senior outside hitter.
Utah looks to improve on last year's 6-27 season, with more than a half- dozen new faces joining returnees like the senior trio of Shelly Cook, Lynda Hall and Leslie Hebertson.
Utah State's experience is in the middle, with seniors Amy Olsen and Stacy Wheeler back from last year's 7-26 squad.