Huskies Host Loaded Regional Field
December 09, 2014 | Volleyball
This Week In Husky Volleyball
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12 - ROUND OF 16
(6) Florida State vs. BYU • 4:00 p.m. • Live Stats • Live on ESPN3
(3) Washington vs. (14) Nebraska • 6:30 p.m. • Live Stats • Live on ESPNU
Alaska Airlines Arena
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13 - QUARTERFINALS
Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 • 8:30 p.m. • Live on ESPNU
Alaska Airlines Arena
SEATTLE - Sixteen teams are left chasing the championship, and four of those teams will continue their pursuit at Alaska Airlines Arena this weekend. The third-seeded Huskies have advanced to the Regional rounds for the ninth time in the past 12 years, and Washington plays host to the Regional semis and final for the fifth time since 2004. The past two times that Seattle has hosted a Regional, the Huskies have faced off against Nebraska, and the paths of the two familiar postseason rivals will cross again in the round of 16 this Friday at 6:30 p.m.. Prior to the Huskies and Huskers, sixth-seeded Florida State will go up against an unseeded BYU team at 4:00 p.m. The two winners will then play at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night for a spot in the Final Four next week in Oklahoma City.
Washington's round of 16 match Friday night will be televised live on ESPNU, while the FSU-BYU showdown will be streamed on ESPN3. Saturday night's match will be on ESPNU as the last of four straight quarterfinals on the day. Sam Gore and Holly McPeak will call the action from Alaska Airlines Arena.
This will be the fifth time in the past 10 NCAA tournaments that Washington and Nebraska have collided, and it will provide a temporary tiebreaker, as UW got wins in the 2005 NCAA final and the 2010 round of 16, and Nebraska won in the 2008 quarterfinals and the 2012 round of 16. The Huskies under Head Coach Jim McLaughlin are 7-1 in round of 16 matches, with the only loss coming two years ago in Nebraska. The 14th-seeded Huskers advanced through the first two rounds with a 3-0 win over Hofstra and a five-setter against Utah, improving their record on the season to 22-9. Nebraska was 14-6 in the Big Ten to finish fourth. The outside hitter duo of junior Kelsey Fien and sophomore Kadie Rolfzen were both named All-Big Ten, and senior setter Mary Pollmiller earned honorable mention.
Washington and BYU are also well acquainted, having played early this season, a 3-2 Husky win in Provo. This is also the third straight year that the Huskies and Cougars have been at the same Regional site, but the teams did not meet up in 2012 in Omaha or 2013 in Los Angeles. BYU is into the round of 16 for the third straight year, after defeating Seton Hall in round one and then knocking off 11th-seeded Arizona in four sets in Tucson. BYU is now 27-4 and won the West Coast Conference with a 16-2 record. Outside hitter Alexa Gray was named WCC Player of the Year and middle blocker Whitney Young was named Defensive Player of the Year after leading the NCAA with 1.93 blocks per set. BYU is the top blocking team in the nation by a wide margin with 3.86 blocks per set. Senior opposite Jennifer Hamson was also an All-WCC selection and had 19 kills against Arizona.
The Seminoles were one of the last unbeaten teams in the nation this year, losing for the first time in mid-November, on the same weekend that UW suffered its only two losses. FSU is 30-2 now after two sweeps over Jacksonville and Alabama in the first two rounds. The Seminoles were second in the ACC to North Carolina with a 16-2 mark. Senior libero Katie Mosher, junior outside hitter Nicole Walch and sophomore middle blocker Sarah Burrington captured First Team ACC honors for FSU, which outhit its opponents, .277 to .181 this year. This is the sixth consecutive NCAA appeaerance for Florida State, which made the Final Four in 2011, and the round of 16 last season.
