University of Washington
California
Offense In High Gear As No. 3 Huskies Sweep Bears
November 16, 2015 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – An unrelenting offensive attack from the third-ranked Husky volleyball team produced a straight set victory over the California Golden Bears today, as 2,585 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena watched a 29th-straight Pac-12 home win for Washington. The Huskies (24-2, 14-2 Pac-12) hit .422, its best mark in Pac-12 play, as six players had at least six kills.
The Dawgs earned a seventh-straight win over the Bears (9-18, 3-13) by a count of 25-17, 25-18, 25-20. Washington was not just efficient, but consistent, hitting .436 in the first set, .417 in the second, and .415 in the final frame. Cal did its best to keep pace, as its .320 attack percentage was the highest by a UW opponent all year, but the Bears couldn't do much to break UW's rhythm, as Cal went without a block.
Sophomore Bailey Tanner matched her career-high with 13 kills on just 19 swings with one error for a career-best .632 attack percentage. Tanner also did part-time setting duty, with 18 assists, while senior Katy Beals had 25 assists, distributing all along the net. Sophomore Crissy Jones added 10 kills without an error to hit .417, and sophomores Tia Scambray had eight kills on a .292 percentage and Courtney Schwan had seven at a .400 efficiency, with 11 digs.
Watch the top plays of UW's win in just 3 minutes
Senior middle Lianna Sybeldon took over sole possession of third-place on UW's career blocks list, as she had a pair today to get to 494, breaking a tie with 2011 grad Bianca Rowland. Sybeldon, the nation's leading hitter, also hit .571 with eight kills on 14 swings without an error. Melanie Wade notched six kills on a .333 percentage and served up a couple aces and stuffed a couple Cal swings. Two-time defending Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Cassie Strickland had a team-best 12 digs.
“From an offensive standpoint I thought we had an outstanding game plan, and we served and passed the ball well, and our setters made a lot of good choices,” said Head Coach Keegan Cook. “A lot of people came to play on the offensive end, so a lot to be pleased with on that side of the ball for sure. But give a lot of credit to Cal for executing on their side of the net as well, they gave us a lot to work on for sure."
Washington went right to Sybeldon on the first swing of the day and she put it down for the first point. Crissy Jones provided two early kills on the right side for a 3-2 lead. Bailey Tanner picked up two kills for herself on the right as well, the second making it a 7-4 UW advantage. The teams swapped sideouts, with Jones putting a third kill crosscourt from the right for an 11-7 lead. Tanner laid out for a dig and Jones bumped it to Scambray for a kill, and then Scambray finished the next point in transition as well to make it 13-8 Dawgs. Wade and Tanner struck for points to get the Huskies a 15-9 lead at the media timeout. Out of the break, Strickland had a dig that quickly went from Beals to Schwan for a slam to keep UW rolling along. A Bears error was followed by UW a stuff block from Schwan and Wade for 18-9 before the Bears got a sideout to snap the 5-0 Husky run. Tanner put away a long set Strickland and Sybeldon crushed a Beals set for 20-12. Another roof, this one from Scambray and Sybeldon, made it 22-14 Dawgs. Tanner closed out the set with her fifth and sixth kills of the first frame, finishing one set from Wade and the last one from Beals to wrap it up, 25-17. The Huskies hit .436 in the first frame, enough to overcome a clean Cal attack that posted a .379 mark. Tanner's six kills led all players, as she hit .625, and Jones added four kills on seven swings without a miss.
An ace from Scambray tied things up at 4-4 early in set two. Wade and Sybeldon followed with quick set kills out of the middle to inch the Huskies up one, 8-7. Washington took a timeout with things tied up at 8-8. Washington finally cracked open a two-point lead at 11-9 after Scambray ended a long rally with a big swing on the left. Schwan rolled one into the campfire for 13-11 Dawgs. Schwan and Sybeldon closed the roof on a big Bears swing on the right pin to make it 15-12 and force Cal's first timeout. The Bears scored out of the break but Jones finished a Strickland set off the block on the left side for 16-13. Senior Justice Magraw subbed in to try and apply more pressure on the UW serve. Tanner dove for a pancake dig and Jones bump set off her knees to Scambray who found open space for 17-13. A swing and a miss from Cal was followed by a Scambray kill with a touch off the block for 21-15, and the Bears took their final timeout. A tough Beals serve out of the break helped Wade track the set for a stuff block and 22-15. Tanner pummeled another straight to the floor on the right side to get to set point at 24-17. On the second chance, Sybeldon swung once, and Cal dug it straight back up to the net, and so the senior got up to hit it back down again to end it, 25-18. The Huskies again were sharp, hitting .417 in the set compared to .289 for the Bears. Scambray had five kills, and Schwan had five digs in the set.
Schwan rocketed the first swing to the floor from the right pin to start the third. Scambray ended a marathon rally with a deep swing to the left corner for 4-3. Wade stopped a setter dump attempt that led to a free ball for UW and then Wade converted the Beals set for 6-3. Schwan rolled one swing over and down, and then went big on a swing crosscourt for a second kill and a 9-6 lead. Wade went to serve, getting a dig that set up Tanner on the right for a kill, and then Wade lined an ace off the back row to prompt a Cal timeout at 11-6. Out of the break, Wade covered a tip attempt and then Tanner returned the favor to Cal with a tip to the floor to keep the run going. Wade then sent another serve off a ducking defender for another ace for 13-6, before she missed serve to snap a 5-point Husky push. Destiny Julye put one away on the left after a long rally for 17-11. Beals ran down a dig and sailed a long bump set across the court to Tanner, who waited patiently and then hammered a shot down for 19-12. Wade killed a Beals set after a perfect Schwan pass for 20-13 Dawgs, and UW added one more as Kim Condie had a dig that led to a Tanner right side finish for 21-13 to force Cal's last timeout. Cal put together its best run of the day out of the timeout, winning four straight points to make it 21-17, before a perfect pass from Strickland let Beals set Tanner for a slam to snap it. Sophomore Jade Finau checked in for the first time at that point. The Bears got a couple more points but Sybeldon stuffed one through the blockers for 23-19. Finau set Julye on the left for a kill off the block to get to match point at 24-20. Strickland's jump serve earned UW a free ball, and after a brief rally, Finau set Jones on the right for a final swing to the back line, ending it, 25-20. The Huskies were over .400 again in the final set, hitting .415, with Beals collecting 10 assists, and Tanner getting six more kills on eight swings without an error.
The Huskies will set off on the road once more next week as the final two weeks of the regular season are at hand. Washington has a Wednesday date in Corvallis with the Beavers, then faces Oregon in Eugene next Friday, Nov. 20, with both matches on Pac-12 Networks.
