Tourney Road Takes Dawgs To Lexington To Face OSU
December 09, 2015 | Volleyball
THIS WEEK IN HUSKY VOLLEYBALL
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS • REGIONAL ROUNDS
LEXINGTON, KY • MEMORIAL COLISEUM
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 • ROUND OF 16
(4) Nebraska vs. (13) BYU • 2:00 p.m. PT • ESPN3 | Live Stats
(5) Washington vs. (12) Ohio State • 4:30 p.m. PT • ESPN3 | Live Stats
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12 • QUARTERFINALS
Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 • 1:00 p.m. PT • ESPNU
SEATTLE - The NCAA volleyball season is down to the final two weeks, and the final sixteen teams. For the fourth year in a row, the Huskies are among that select group still chasing the national title. The next step for Washington (30-2) will be winning its Regional this week in Lexington, Ky., where the fifth-seeded Huskies will face 12th-seeded Ohio State (25-9) on Friday, Dec. 11, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time. Win that match and the Dawgs will play again on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT, against either No. 4-seed Nebraska (28-4) or No. 13-seed BYU (28-3), for a spot in the Final Four next week in Omaha, Neb.
The University of Kentucky hosts the three Regional matches at Memorial Coliseum. Friday's two round of 16 matches will be streamed on ESPN3, and the Regional final on Saturday will be televised live on ESPNU.
There are a number of very familiar faces for Washington among their Lexington opponents. This is the fourth year in a row that BYU has been at the same Regional site as Washington, and third time in the past four years that UW and Nebraska have advanced to the same Regional. But Ohio State is a team that the Huskies have not seen since 2006, also a Regional semifinal that the Huskies won in Seattle.
This is the 14th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the Huskies, the fourth-straight trip to the round of 16, and the 10th time in the past 13 years that the Dawgs have reached at least the round of 16. Washington won its NCAA opener at home in a sweep over Summit League champion Denver, and then finished a 17-0 home season with a four set win over Michigan State in the second round last Saturday.
The Huskies enjoyed another outstanding regular season winning their final 11 matches and winning a share of the Pac-12 Championship with an 18-2 conference record. Washington moved to No. 1 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll, its first time in the top spot this season. The Pac-12 title, shared with USC, was the second in the past three years for the Dawgs, and fourth in program history.
On Tuesday, head coach Keegan Cook was named the AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year. Seniors Lianna Sybeldon and Cassie Strickland were named All-Region, and sophomore Tia Scambray was All-Region honorable mention. Making the All-Region Team is a requirement for earning All-America honors.
Washington, Nebraska, and BYU were all at the Seattle Regional last year, making Ohio State the new face in the group. The last time the Huskies played the Buckeyes was also in the Sweet 16, back in 2006, when the Huskies earned a 3-0 win in Seattle en route to reaching the Final Four. Ohio State finished sixth in the Big Ten with a 12-8 conference record, and has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the AVCA top-25 this year, entering the tournament ranked 14th and earning the 12 seed. OSU swept Robert Morris and American at home in the first two rounds of the tourney. Ohio State had a number of big wins in the regular season, earning consecutive wins over then-No. 14 Florida State, winning in five sets over then-No. 16 Wisconsin, another five-setter over then-No. 4 Nebraska, and getting a season sweep over Illinois, another round of 16 qualifier. Ohio State also had a 3-1 win over Arizona, but lost in straight sets to Maryland, which the Huskies beat in three. Michigan State, which UW beat in round two, had a 3-1 win over Ohio State in East Lansing. Twice the Buckeyes nearly upset Big Ten Champ Minnesota, the tournament's No. 2 seed, as the Gophers won in five sets home and away. Junior middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe made the All-Big Ten first team, and senior opposite Elizabeth Campbell was honorable mention. The Buckeyes put two on the All-Freshman Team, as outside hitter Audra Appold and setter Taylor Hughes were both chosen. Campbell leads OSU with 3.63 kills per set, hitting .240. Sandbothe is very productive out of the middle with 2.99 kills per set hitting .371, and she averages a team-best 1.25 blocks per set. Hughes has been the main setter of late, averaging 9.25 assists on the season. Valeria Leon sets the back line with 4.35 digs per set. OSU hits .244 on th eyear and limits opponents to .176. Geoff Carlston is in his eighth season coaching the Buckeyes.
BYU and Nebraska played last year in the Regional final in Seattle, with the Cougars winning and reaching the NCAA finals. The rematch will happen one round earlier this year. BYU is 28-3 on the season, its only losses coming at USC, at Santa Clara, and at Loyola Marymount. The Cougars won the West Coast Conference with a 16-2 record. Senior outside hittier Alexa Gray helped lead BYU to the final match a year ago, and she was named WCC Player of the Year this season. Gray leads the team with 5.22 kills per set, and hits .302 with 2.37 digs per set as well. Defensive Player of the Year honors went to junior middle blocker Amy Boswell, who averages 1.40 blocks per set, as BYU puts up 2.86 blocks per set as a team. Boswell also averages 2.61 kills per set, hitting .378, and also is the top server on the squad with 35 aces. Washington earned its first ever win over BYU last year in the preseason, as the Huskies won in five sets in Provo. BYU and UW last met in the tournament in 2007, when BYU had an upset 3-2 win over the Huskies in Seattle. Heather Olmstead took the reins from her brother Shawn Olmstead this season after serving as an assistant the past several years.
The Cornhuskers were the runners-up in the Big Ten, going 17-3 to finish one game behind Minnesota. Nebraska is on a 12-match winning streak heading into the weekend, having defeated Harvard in four sets in the NCAA opener, then sweeping Wichita State in round two. Nebraska's only losses were a five setter at Texas, a five setter at Ohio State, and four setters at home to Minnesota and Wisconsin. They earned a season sweep of Penn State, and early in the season came back from 0-2 down to beat Oregon in their only match with a Pac-12 team. Nebraska ranks 14th in the nation with a .274 attack percentage, and is holding opponents to a .169 mark. They average 14.44 kills per set, ranking 12th, and rank 24th with 2.74 blocks per set. Nebraska allows very few opponent aces, having given up just 71, as junior libero Justine Wong-Orantes was Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and averages 4.44 digs per set. The Rolfzen sisters, both juniors, were both named All-Big Ten. Kadie is an outside hitter that leads the team with 3.26 kills per set, hitting .270. Amber, playing middle blocker, ranks fourth nationally with 1.59 blocks per set, and also adds 2.26 kills per set and hits .349. The Huskies and Huskers have met five times in the NCAA tournament over the last 10 years, including three of the past five years, as UW upset Nebraska in 2010, but the Huskers won in 2012 and upset UW last year in the round of 16. Washington won its only NCAA title by beating Nebraska in the 2005 final.
