University of Washington
USC
Husky Block Takes Toll On Trojans In Sweep
October 02, 2014 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – In the first meeting between the Huskies and Trojans since last year's classic Elite Eight battle, it was the fourth-ranked Dawgs that held home court once again, sweeping 19th-ranked USC, 25-15, 25-20, 25-19 behind a big block at net. Washington (14-0, 3-0 Pac-12) used 15 team blocks, nine block assists coming from junior Lianna Sybeldon, to earn a fourth consecutive win against USC (7-6, 0-3), setting a UW record in the series.
On a "Black Out" night at Alaska Airlines Arena, the Huskies ended up on the plus side statistically in every column, hitting .330 compared to .108 for the Trojans, with 43 kills against 32 for USC. The Huskies had 45 digs compared to 37 for the Trojans, and UW's 15 blocks was its most in a three-set match this season, and second-most overall.
“Tonight the emphasis before the game was 'this is the most important game of the year'” Head Coach Jim McLaughlin told the players. “Could we be a little bit better for longer periods of time? We've got all the parts, and when all the parts are working together we're a really good team. We've got good quicks, good outsides, good setters, good passers. But then you've got to play. You've got to be consistent, and that's more mental and emotional than anything … and we're learning how to do that.”
Senior All-American Krista Vansant turned in another stellar line of 14 kills on a .333 attack percentage, adding seven digs and four block assists. Sybeldon's nine blocks went with seven kills on a .429 hitting clip, and freshman Tia Scambray continued her strong run of play with eight kills, hitting .267, with seven digs and three blocks.
Another freshman, Crissy Jones, made it back-to-back stellar matches tonight after she came alive last week at Cal with six kills on a .545 attack percentage. Tonight, Jones topped that with seven kills on 10 swings without a miss for a .700 percentage, adding four blocks. Bailey Tanner's 20 assists finished just ahead of the 18 from Katy Beals, and junior Cassie Strickland had an impressive outing in the back row with 15 digs.
The teams traded a pair of errors to open up the first set before Scambray got a finish in serve-receive off a Beals set for the first kill. Sybeldon had a tip kill and shortly thereafter smashed a Bailey Tanner set for 4-3. Vansant had back-to-back kills to get the Dawgs out to a 6-3 lead and then Vansant and Sybeldon posted a roof against USC's Ebony Nwanebu and then the Trojans missed out of bounds and needed timeout with the Dawgs up 8-3. Scambray's float serves continued to force USC into miscues out of the break, and soon Sybeldon and Jones got up to reject an Alicia Ogoms swing straight down to continue the run to 11-3. There was another USC error before the Trojans got a kill to snap the nine-point Husky surge. But Sybeldon got the serve right back with a crushing shot from the middle. A left side finish to the court from Nelson made it 15-7, Dawgs. Freshman Crissy Jones put down her first swing from the right for 20-12. Vansant and Scambray posted two more kills from the left to keep UW closing in, then Vansant got one out of the back row for set point at 24-15. Vansant then knuckled a serve that was shanked for an ace to end it, 25-15. The Huskies rolled to a .458 attack percentage in the set and held USC to just .030. Vansant had five kills and hit .625 while Sybeldon finished three of four swings and added three blocks.
Melanie Wade got the Dawgs fired up quickly in the second set with a rejection of the Bricio swing, and a Vansant kill made it 2-1 early. USC got on its best run thus far on Bricio's serve, taking three straight for a 5-3 lead until Nelson, Sybeldon, and Scambray threw up a triple block to snap the string. A tough serve by Scambray led to a USC setting error to get UW back even at 6-6, then Jones and Sybeldon had a stuff to put the Dawgs back in front. Jones banged one down just inside the block for a point and a 9-8 edge, then a great dig from Beals led to a Vansant transition kill off a Strickland bump set. Wade and Vansant then rejected a slide attempt for an 11-8 edge and USC took timeout. The USC setter slammed a second contact to break the run, and Bricio added a kill to get back within one. But USC then made a block error and Nelson and Wade got a stuff to push back to a 13-10 lead. Wade banged a kill off the block and then went back to the service line and floated an ace off the back row for 15-11. Nelson and Sybeldon had another key block for 16-12. A third kill for Jones deflected into the seats and she added a fourth a moment later to make it 18-14. USC set Bricio out of the back row, but a huge Husky block of Jones, Wade, and Vansant was waiting to make it a five-point lead. The teams swapped points, as Scambray had a kill on a touch call to make it 22-17 and USC took its last timeout. Kills from Nelson and Sybeldon were followed by a roof built by Sybeldon and Scambray for set point at 24-17. The Trojans wiped away the first three, with Bricio serving an ace in the run, and the Huskies took timeout up 24-20. The respite paid off, as Bricio sent her next serve into the net to end things, 25-20. Washington outhit the Trojans, .355 to .229 in the frame, with a big four kills on six attempts without a miss from the freshman Jones.
Nelson drilled one up the sideline to kick off set three, but USC took four of the next five points for a 2-4 advantage. Sybeldon capped a long rally with a transition blast to the corner and then she and Jones turned back a Trojans swing to get things back even. A second straight block by Sybeldon made it 5-4 Dawgs. The lead swung back to USC but UW retook it at 9-8 after a Strickland up was set by Scambray for a Vansant kill. The Dawgs continued to dig in on defense, punctuating a long rally with a stuff from Wade and Nelson. After a USC miss, the Trojans took time as the Huskies had moved up 11-8. Out of the break, Vansant continued to do some heavy lifting in transition, as she killed the Strickland set for a 13-8 edge. A Wade finish on a slide was followed up by a Scambray kill off the block for 15-9. The Trojans blocked Scambray once but Tanner set her up again on the next attempt and she slammed her seventh kill off the defense. A quick kill from Sybeldon was followed by Jones banging one off the block and out in transition to make it 22-14 and force the final USC timeout. The Trojans picked up a couple out of the break but it was Jones again that terminated from the right to make it 23-16. Vansant brought the Dawgs to match point with a kill from a Beals combo set, and Scambray finished things off with a hard swing up the line and off into the seats, ending it, 25-19. Scambray had four kills in the final frame and Vansant added five, with eight digs from Strickland helping hold USC to just .059 on offense.
Washington gets right back onto the court against another top-20 foe this Friday, as 20th-ranked UCLA will challenge the Huskies in a match that begins a 7:00 p.m.
