University of Washington
Prairie View A&M
New Huskies Taste Victory In Opener
August 26, 2011 | Volleyball
Aug. 26, 2011
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» No. 7 UW Opens 2011 In Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. - It was a quick but impressive debut for the 2011 Huskies, as four new Dawgs took the floor for the first time and contributed to seventh-ranked Washington's sweep of Prairie View A&M. The match was the first of three this weekend for UW at the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational, held at LBSU's Walter Pyramid.
Washington (1-0) kept the Panthers (0-2) from reaching double digits in any set, a first for the Dawgs. Set scores went 25-5, 25-7, and 25-9, with the first set score also a record for largest winning margin in the 25-point format. The Huskies made just one error all match, hitting .590 and holding Prairie View to .028. Washington had 12 aces and six blocks to none for the Panthers in either category.
The starters for the opener were seniors Bianca Rowland and Lauren Barfield, junior Kylin Muñoz, sophomore Jenni Nogueras at the setter spot, and freshmen Summer Ross and Krista Vansant made their first starts, with sophomore Jenna Orlandini as the libero.
Vansant would post a match-high 11 kills on 18 swings without an error for a .611 hitting percentage. Muñoz just missed a double-double, as she had nine kills and a career-best 11 digs along with a career-high five aces, the first time a Husky had five since November of 2009. Rowland also had nine kills, hitting .529, and Ross had six kills on seven swings (.857) plus six digs.
Nogueras set the first set and a half, grabbing 22 assists, three aces, four digs and a block assist. Evan Sanders then made her debut late in the second set, and picked up 13 assists, two block assists, and an ace.
Freshman Kaleigh Nelson was another rookie to see her first action, and she checked in with a kill on two attempts and a block assist.
The match started with Nogueras assisting Ross for a kill on the right side, and then Ross tossed an ace on her first Husky service. The first block of the year went to Nogueras and Vansant for a quick 4-0 Husky lead. Vansant's first two kills made it 8-3, and her third kill sparked a massive 12-0 run that blew the lead up to 21-4. Nogueras served the lengthy run and had three aces in the stretch before it finally ended on a service error. Another kill from Vansant, and two more from Ross brought up set point, and Muñoz finished it with her first kill, assisted by Orlandini.
Muñoz picked up where she left off in the second set, starting with a kill, and a Rowland finish made it 3-0 early. Muñoz then served a 5-0 run with two aces to make it 8-1. Junior Kelly Holford got on a nice service run as Nogueras distributed the ball to Rowland, Vansant, Barfield, and Ross for kills and a Holford ace made it 14-2. Muñoz then had four straight kills for the Huskies, who continued to roll. Sophomore Gabbi Parker checked in late and had back-to-back kills to get to set point, and a Prairie View error ended it at 25-7.
The Panthers hung until 4-all in the third set before the Huskies used another 8-1 run to break things open. Sanders got a kill assisted by Muñoz, then Sanders added a block along with junior Kelcey Dunaway, and an ace a few points later for a 12-5 edge. Sanders set Rowland up for her ninth kill, and although Prairie View called timeout after that, the Huskies ran off the final six points of the match which featured two Muñoz aces and three kills from Parker to wrap up the set, 25-9.
Things figure to get tougher in a hurry for the Huskies, as they will play a double-header tomorrow starting with UMBC at 12 noon, and then a stiff test against the hosts, 22nd-ranked Long Beach State, at 7 p.m. in a match that can be watched online on the 49ers athletic site.
