By SCOTT BELL
For the record, BYU women’s volleyball coach Elaine Michaelis coached her 1,000th career match Monday night.
In reality, Michaelis passed the mark some time ago. Trouble is, Michaelis has been coaching so long, she started before official records were kept.
Michaelis’ 1,000th game definitely wasn’t the prettiest she’s ever coached, but it was a win all the same. BYU knocked off Idaho State 15-1, 15-10, 11-15, 15-2 before 597 fans at the Smith Fieldhouse.
“It’s kind of hard for me to get excited because it really happened so long ago, but because there’s no records, we don’t know when,” Michaelis said.
“It’s really been a wonderful career with great young people at this university. I couldn’t ask for a better job.”
With the win the Cougars improved to 12-1 for the season while the Bengals fell to 6-10. Idaho State was outmatched from the onset as the Cougars cruised to an easy 15-1 first-game win.
The second and third games weren’t quite so care free however. Michaelis substituted freely and most of the BYU reserves saw considerable time. Idaho State jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the second game before the Cougars roared back by winning 12 of the final 13 points to win 15-10.
Flirting with trouble finally caught up with BYU in the third set. The Cougars went ahead 11-8, then lost the final seven points of the game to fall 15-11.
“We subbed in some new people, but we have to maintain our level,” setter Anna-Lena Smith said. “It’s probably something we’ll work on in practice.”
The Cougar starters returned to make quick work of Idaho State in the fourth game. Smith served for 11 of BYU’s points as the Cougars won 15-2.
Senior outside hitter Korie Rogers finished with 14 kills in 17 attempts. Melissa Layton was next with 10 kills, while Smith had 51 assists.
The win was Michaelis’ 794th, for the record. She has led BYU to 20-win seasons each of the last 20 years. Michaelis downplayed her career milestone.
“She was like, ‘Don’t let it bother you, it’s not a big deal,’ ” Smith said. “We’re like, ‘Yeah it is.’ She’s an awesome coach.”
