Third-Seeded Dawgs Start NCAA Run At Home
December 02, 2014 | Volleyball
This Week In Husky Volleyball
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5 - FIRST ROUND
Hawaii vs. Duke • 5:00 p.m. • Live Stats
(3) Washington vs. New Hampshire • 7:00 p.m. • Live Stats • Live on Pac-12 Networks
Alaska Airlines Arena
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6 - SECOND ROUND
Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 • 7:30 p.m. • Live on Pac-12 Networks (if UW is playing)
Alaska Airlines Arena
SEATTLE - The NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships return to Alaska Airlines Arena this week, with Washington looking to make a long run through the field of 64. After one of the best regular seasons in school history, the Huskies were given the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament, the highest seed in the Seattle Regional. First up will be a match against the New Hampshire Wildcats, this Friday at 7:00 p.m. The winner of that match will take on the winner of Friday's first match at 5:00 p.m., as Hawaii takes on Duke in a first round battle of top-25 teams.
The Pac-12 Networks will televise Washington's first round match against New Hampshire as well as the second round match, regardless of first round outcomes. Saturday's match will have first serve at 7:30 p.m. This is the 13th consecutive NCAA tourney appearance for Washington, the eighth-longest active streak in the country. The Huskies are hosting the first two rounds for the third year in a row and fourth time in the past five years. Washington's No. 3 overall seed matches the program high, also set in 2005 and 2013.
Leading the way for the Dawgs is the now two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year Krista Vansant, as the conference announced its postseason honors on Tuesday. Vansant became the fifth player ever to go back-to-back. Junior Cassie Strickland was also named Pac-12 Libero of the Year. Senior Kaleigh Nelson earned her second All-Pac-12 Team selection, and junior Lianna Sybeldon earned her first after being honorable mention as a sophomore, with Strickland and junior Melanie Wade earning honorable mention. Three Huskies also earned All-Freshman Team honors, with Crissy Jones and Tia Scambray on the seven-player first team and Bailey Tanner getting honorable mention.
New Hampshire, champions of the America East conference, is in the underdog role on Friday but not one it is unfamiliar with. Last season the Wildcats (20-11) also won their conference and traveled to No. 6 seed USC for the first round, falling in three sets but gaining in experience. New Hampshire is hitting .209 for the year and holding opponents to a .176 mark. They feature five different players that average between 1.98 and 2.99 kills per set, led by junior Tori Forrest. UNH beat Albany in four sets in the conference tourney final to earn its fifth NCAA championships appearance. Senior setter Taylor Dunklau was named America East Player of the Year, and sophomore middle blocker Demi Muses was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
Hawaii makes yet another trip to Seattle for the tournament, the third in the past five years for the Rainbow Wahine. Washington had a three set win over Hawaii in the 2010 second round, then survived a UH match point to win in five sets in the 2012 second round. This season Hawaii finished second in the Big West with a 13-3 record, going 21-6 overall to earn its 22nd consecutive NCAA tourney bid, the sixth-longest active streak, and 33rd overall. Hawaii is led by the winningest coach in DI history, Dave Shoji, in his 40th year with over 1,100 career wins. Shoji has coached UH to three NCAA titles in 1982, 1983, and 1987, and nine Final Fours. Four Rainbow Wahine were named to the All-Big West Team, including senior middle blocker Kalei Adolpho, junior middle blocker Olivia Magill, a Shoreline, Wash. native, junior outside hitter Tai Manu-Olevao, and sophomore outside hitter Nikki Taylor. Hawaii ranks sixth in the NCAA with 3.04 blocks per set, and serves up an impressive 1.52 aces per set. They are hitting .250 and holding opponents to just .162. Hawaii did play three Pac-12 teams this year, going 0-3 with a five set loss to Oregon, and three set losses to Arizona State and UCLA early in the season.
The Huskies and Blue Devils have never faced each other. Duke has been ranked in the top-25 of the AVCA poll much of the season, and is ranked 21st overall in the pre-tourney installment. Duke finished tied for third in the ACC with a 14-4 mark, going 22-7 overall. The ACC put four teams in the field, including Florida State, North Carolina, Duke, and Miami. The Blue Devils have been well tested all season, going to No. 1 Stanford and falling in four sets in September, and giving then-No. 3 Florida State its first loss of the season on Nov. 13. They also lost a 13-15 fifth set heartbreaker at ACC Champion North Carolina in the second to last match of the year. Duke hit .268 on the season and allowed a .201 opposing mark. Senior setter Kelsey Williams was named ACC Setter of the YEar, averaging 11.70 assists per set. Emily Sklar leads the offense with 4.29 kills per set. She and Williams, and outside hitter Jeme Obeime were all named All-ACC First Team. Obeime is hitting .297 with 3.44 kills per set. Sasha Karelov also has an impressive 5.15 digs per set average to lead the defense.
