University of Washington
Colorado
Dawgs Wrap First Pac-12 Weekend With Sweep
September 28, 2015 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – With classes about to start on campus, the sixth-ranked Husky volleyball team has already been through a number of tests this season, and passed another with flying colors tonight, sweeping Colorado in front of a season-high 2,938 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Dawgs dictated with their serve and serve-receive games to take down the Buffaloes, 25-20, 25-17, 25-22, in what will be the only meeting between the teams this year.
Washington wrapped up a busy first week of Pac-12 play, having gone to Pullman for a five-set win on Thursday then returned home to take on a tough Colorado team that made the NCAA second round last year. The Huskies remained undefeated with a 12-0 mark, going to 2-0 in conference, and dropping the Buffs to 8-6 overall and 0-2.
“When we are serving the ball like we serve it, and passing the way we pass it, we can get away with mistakes in other areas,” said Head Coach Keegan Cook. “We ended up siding out at 72-percent, and that was mostly because we were serving and passing the ball well, so that's mostly why it went the way it did. We left a lot to be desired on the defensive end, with little executions at the net as blockers, and little moves as back row defenders that we're going to want back.”
The Dawgs served up six aces tonight and had a season-low two service errors, for a three-to-one aces-to-errors ratio that was also a big season-best. The Dawgs hit .280 for the match, with Colorado finishing at .222, but UW had eight blocks to just three for Colorado, and had edges in kills (42-40) and digs (33-32) with the Buffs missing six more serves.
At intermission, UW honored members of the 2005 NCAA Championship team. From left to right: Courtney Thompson, Tama Miyashiro, Jessica Veris, Darla Myhre, and Carolyn Farny.
Courtney Schwan's 10 kills led the way, coming on an excellent .429 attack percentage, and she added two aces, two blocks, and five digs. The senior middle blocker tandem of Melanie Wade and Lianna Sybeldon shined once again. Wade had eight kills on a .353 attack percentage, while Sybeldon hit .500 with six kills, and had a team-high seven blocks.
Senior Cassie Strickland had a great night throwing herself around the court for a match-high 12 digs, and she also had a season-best three aces, moving up two spots on the Husky career aces top-10 list. She jumped up to No. 6 all-time with 128 and is just one behind Jill Collymore for fifth.
Spreading the wealth around as usual, Katy Beals had 23 assists and nine digs, and Bailey Tanner had 12 assists and played some front row attacking as well, getting one kill. Sophomore Crissy Jones had five kills, hitting .500 with four block assists and sophomore Carly DeHoog had six kills on a .200 percentage, with five more kills coming from sophomore Tia Scambray.
The Buffs scored the first three points of the match before Wade scored with a quick kill set by Beals. The Huskies started slowly on offense, with three attack errors, two on Buffalo blocks, and needed timeout trailing 1-6. Colorado missed after a long rally and then the Dawgs got revved up with four straight points to even it up at 6-6. DeHoog and Wade teamed up for a block, and then Scambray served an ace to a seam between defenders, and a DeHoog transition kill evened it. The Dawgs took their first lead at 9-8 on a kill from Schwan and a Colorado miss. Crissy Jones blasted her first kill on the right pin to give the Dawgs the 11-10 lead, and then Strickland hammered a jump serve ace for a two-point cushion. The Buffs missed on their next swing and took timeout with UW up 13-10. Strickland hit another ace spinning straight to the floor out of the timeout to make it 14-10 before the run was snapped. The teams swapped points with Colorado donating a couple service errors. Scambray finished a long rally with a back row hammer and the Buffs hit one wide outside the antenna for 19-13 Dawgs. Sybeldon picked up her first kill of the set and then teamed with Jones for a rejection to force the last Colorado timeout at 21-14. Scambray tracked down a long bump set from Strickland from the 10-foot line and put it down to get to set point at 24-19. On the second chance, Beals set Bailey Tanner on the left pin and the dual threat put it away to win it, 25-20. The Huskies hit just .091 in the set but five digs and two aces from Strickland helped overcome it.
The Dawgs got off to a better start in set two, taking four of the first vie points, with kills from Schwan, Wade, and DeHoog in the early going. Jones hammered a kill off the block and out on the far side of the court to make it 7-5. The Buffs pulled within a point, but Scambray and Wade kept them at bay with sideouts. Schwan connected from the left in serve-receive for a 10-8 lead. A soft tip by Schwan over the blockers fell to make it 12-10 and then the sophomore rotated back to serve and drove an ace off the defense for 13-10. The Buffs got back within a point but Jones killed one in serve-receive and then Strickland's serve was overpassed and Wade hammered it down for 15-12, prompting a CU timeout. Strickland wouldn't be rattled by the break, as she crushed her third ace for 16-12. DeHoog flew in for two huge kills from the right pin to force Colorado into its last timeout at 22-16, then Jones and Sybeldon sent back a Buffs swing and a Colorado error got it to set point at 24-16. Schwan took a little off for the final point into the center of the Buffaloes to end it, 25-17. The Dawgs hit a blistering .577 in the second set, with 16 kills and just one error on 26 attacks, overcoming a strong .393 percentage from the Buffs. Schwan had six kills on seven swings without an error in the frame and Beals had nine assists.
The third set started with a number of extended rallies and jousts above the net, as the teams were even through the first 10 points. Tanner's serve forced a free ball from the Buffs and Sybeldon quickly killed that, then the next point ended with a Sybeldon and Jones stuff block for 8-5 Dawgs and CU took time. Washington kept its momentum with a transition kill by Jones set back from Tanner, and a block assist by Sybeldon and Jones that made it 11-6. The Buffs crept back into it as UW was caught by surprise on one service ace and another CU free ball that dropped for a kill, cutting it to 12-10. Destiny Julye got her first kill on the left for 13-10, but CU came back with a pair to get within one. A Colorado service ace off Scambray tied the set up at 14-14. DeHoog won a big point by hitting a Sybeldon bump off the block and down on second contact for a 16-14 edge. The lead grew to three at 19-16 after Schwan floated an ace off the defense. Colorado came back with a couple to get within one again, but a kill from Scambray on a Beals set in the center of the net was followed by a rally that featured a great dig from Strickland that let Beals sail the ball across to Schwan who put the kill through the block for a 23-20 lead. The Buffs answered with two points back, but Wade came through with a big swing to get to match point at 24-22. The Buffs were out of system on the next point and tried to tip one over but Sybeldon leapt up to stuff it back down and wrap it up, 25-22. Washington outhit Colorado, .244 to .205 in the third set, with five blocks, all involving Sybeldon, proving to be the difference.
The Huskies now embark on a huge road trip down to Los Angeles, where they will take on 13th-ranked UCLA on Friday, Oct. 2 at 8:00 p.m. and then third-ranked and undefeated USC on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 p.m.
