It may seem a little harsh that Pac-12 coaches voted Utah to finish 10th out of 12 teams, given that the Utes had won eight of their final nine matches before dropping a five-set second-round matchup with hosts Nebraska.
Such is the level of competition in the Pac-12, though. A league-record nine conference teams made the tournament last year, and Utah probably loses as much, on paper, as any: Seniors Chelsey Schofield-Olsen, Shelby Dalton, Bailey Bateman, Kalee Kirby and Lea Adolph led the Utes in almost every major category.
But some of Utah's younger players did, at least, gain some experience last season.