Friday, December 2
Seattle, WA
7:30 PM
University of Washington
vs
Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (NCAA First Round)
Huskies Host Tourney Regulars As Championships Begin
November 30, 2016 | Volleyball
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS • 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS
ALASKA AIRLINES ARENA
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2 • FIRST ROUND
Kentucky vs. Colorado State • 5:00 p.m. - Live Stats
(8) Washington vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi • 7:30 p.m. - Live on Pac-12 Network - Live Stats
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 • SECOND ROUND
Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 • 7:30 p.m. - Live on Pac-12 Network if Washington is playing
SEATTLE - Tournament time is at hand for the Pac-12 Champion Huskies. Washington, seeded eighth overall, begins its 15th consecutive NCAA Championships this Friday at home in Alaska Airlines Arena against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7:30 p.m. If the Huskies (24-6, 16-4 Pac-12) defeat the Islanders (24-7, 16-0 Southland) they will take on the winner of Friday's first match between Kentucky and Colorado State. First serve for Saturday's second round match will be either 7:30. Friday's second match featuring UW will be televised by Pac-12 Networks, as will Saturday's second round match if the Huskies advance.
Washington is looking to advance through the opening two rounds of the tournament and reach the Sweet 16 for the fifth year in a row. The Huskies reached the Elite Eight last season before falling to eventual NCAA Champion Nebraska. Washington, Kentucky, and Colorado State all rank in the top-10 in terms of longest current NCAA tournament streaks. The Rams (21-8, 15-3 Mountain West) are in their 22nd consecutive tourney, which ranks seventh in the NCAA. The Huskies are eighth with their 15 year run, while Kentucky (22-7, 15-3 SEC) is making a 12th-straight appearance, which is the 10th-longest active streak.
Despite a young squad with just one senior and three freshman starters, the Huskies won the Pac-12 for the third time in the past four years. After starting conference play at 1-2, the Huskies went 15-2 the rest of the way and won their final seven matches in a row to finish 16-4, one game ahead of UCLA and Stanford. Junior outside hitter Courtney Schwan was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year on Monday, the fifth Player of the Year win for UW since 2005. Schwan, junior opposite Crissy Jones, and junior setter Bailey Tanner were all named to the All-Pac-12 Team, while freshman middle blocker Kara Bajema was named to the All-Freshman Team and was honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 Team.
Eight Pac-12 teams made the 64-team NCAA field, tying the Big Ten for most out of any conference. The Huskies played 10 teams in the field, the seven other Pac-12 squads plus Hawaii, American, and James Madison, and had a combined 13-4 record against those teams.
Corpus Christi went through the Southland Conference undefeated to win its second straight league title and return to the NCAA tourney. Last season, the Islanders lost to Texas A&M in the NCAA first round. During nonconference play, the Islanders faced several teams that went on to make NCAAs, falling in straight sets to San Diego and Wisconsin and dropping 3-1 matches to Baylor and UNLV. Leading A&M-Corpus Christi is Southland Conference Player of the Year Brittany Gilpin, a junior outside hitter who averaged 3.73 kills per set and hit .326. Kristyn Nicholson was the Southland Setter of the Year for the second time, and Kate Klepetka earned Libero of the Year for the second time as well, as she averages 5.17 digs per set. The Islanders were led by Steve Greene, who won Coach of the Year honors in his first season at the helm.
Kentucky is considered the No. 2 seed in the four-team pod, as the Wildcats tied for third in the SEC and finished the regular season ranked 24th in the AVCA top-25. Kentucky features one of the nation's top freshmen in Leah Edmond, who was named SEC Freshman of the Year and won SEC Freshman of the Week eight different times this year. She ranked second in the SEC in kills per set at 4.23, hitting .265. Kaz Brown was an All-SEC Team pick, averaging 2.60 kills per set hitting an impressive .371 and averaging a strong 1.42 blocks per set. Kentucky also boasts two-time SEC Libero of the Year Ashley Dusek, averaging 4.83 digs per set. Setter Olivia Dailey was also named All-SEC with 11.8 assists per set, helping Kentucky hit .260 for the year compared to a .173 mark for their opponents. UK lost to two Pac-12 teams this season, falling to Washington State in the season opener and also falling at USC, but Kentucky also had some outstanding wins, like a road sweep at Florida and a win over Big East champ and 21st-ranked Creighton.
Colorado State earned an at-large bid to its 22nd straight NCAA tournament after finishing runner-up in the Mountain West behind Boise State. The Rams won seven of their final eight matches, with five of those matches going the full five sets, and going 4-1 in those five setters. CSU lost its only match against a Pac-12 opponent, falling in four sets at Colorado. They lost in straight sets to then-No. 3 Texas, but two sets were tight 25-23 finals. The Rams hit .286 on the year and hold opponents to .175, and rank among the NCAA leaders in blocks per set at 3.34. Junior outside hitter Sanja Cizmic led the team with 3.06 kills per set and was named all-conference. Setter Katie Oleksak was named Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West, averaging 11.36 assists per set, and redshirt freshman Kirstie Hillyer was Newcomer of the Year as she ranks fifth in the NCAA with 1.58 blocks per set. Middle blocker Alexandra Poletto (1.30 blocks per set) and outside hitter Jasmine Hanna (2.96 kills per set) also earend all-conference.
ALASKA AIRLINES ARENA
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2 • FIRST ROUND
Kentucky vs. Colorado State • 5:00 p.m. - Live Stats
(8) Washington vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi • 7:30 p.m. - Live on Pac-12 Network - Live Stats
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 • SECOND ROUND
Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 • 7:30 p.m. - Live on Pac-12 Network if Washington is playing
SEATTLE - Tournament time is at hand for the Pac-12 Champion Huskies. Washington, seeded eighth overall, begins its 15th consecutive NCAA Championships this Friday at home in Alaska Airlines Arena against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7:30 p.m. If the Huskies (24-6, 16-4 Pac-12) defeat the Islanders (24-7, 16-0 Southland) they will take on the winner of Friday's first match between Kentucky and Colorado State. First serve for Saturday's second round match will be either 7:30. Friday's second match featuring UW will be televised by Pac-12 Networks, as will Saturday's second round match if the Huskies advance.
Washington is looking to advance through the opening two rounds of the tournament and reach the Sweet 16 for the fifth year in a row. The Huskies reached the Elite Eight last season before falling to eventual NCAA Champion Nebraska. Washington, Kentucky, and Colorado State all rank in the top-10 in terms of longest current NCAA tournament streaks. The Rams (21-8, 15-3 Mountain West) are in their 22nd consecutive tourney, which ranks seventh in the NCAA. The Huskies are eighth with their 15 year run, while Kentucky (22-7, 15-3 SEC) is making a 12th-straight appearance, which is the 10th-longest active streak.
Despite a young squad with just one senior and three freshman starters, the Huskies won the Pac-12 for the third time in the past four years. After starting conference play at 1-2, the Huskies went 15-2 the rest of the way and won their final seven matches in a row to finish 16-4, one game ahead of UCLA and Stanford. Junior outside hitter Courtney Schwan was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year on Monday, the fifth Player of the Year win for UW since 2005. Schwan, junior opposite Crissy Jones, and junior setter Bailey Tanner were all named to the All-Pac-12 Team, while freshman middle blocker Kara Bajema was named to the All-Freshman Team and was honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 Team.
Eight Pac-12 teams made the 64-team NCAA field, tying the Big Ten for most out of any conference. The Huskies played 10 teams in the field, the seven other Pac-12 squads plus Hawaii, American, and James Madison, and had a combined 13-4 record against those teams.
Corpus Christi went through the Southland Conference undefeated to win its second straight league title and return to the NCAA tourney. Last season, the Islanders lost to Texas A&M in the NCAA first round. During nonconference play, the Islanders faced several teams that went on to make NCAAs, falling in straight sets to San Diego and Wisconsin and dropping 3-1 matches to Baylor and UNLV. Leading A&M-Corpus Christi is Southland Conference Player of the Year Brittany Gilpin, a junior outside hitter who averaged 3.73 kills per set and hit .326. Kristyn Nicholson was the Southland Setter of the Year for the second time, and Kate Klepetka earned Libero of the Year for the second time as well, as she averages 5.17 digs per set. The Islanders were led by Steve Greene, who won Coach of the Year honors in his first season at the helm.
Kentucky is considered the No. 2 seed in the four-team pod, as the Wildcats tied for third in the SEC and finished the regular season ranked 24th in the AVCA top-25. Kentucky features one of the nation's top freshmen in Leah Edmond, who was named SEC Freshman of the Year and won SEC Freshman of the Week eight different times this year. She ranked second in the SEC in kills per set at 4.23, hitting .265. Kaz Brown was an All-SEC Team pick, averaging 2.60 kills per set hitting an impressive .371 and averaging a strong 1.42 blocks per set. Kentucky also boasts two-time SEC Libero of the Year Ashley Dusek, averaging 4.83 digs per set. Setter Olivia Dailey was also named All-SEC with 11.8 assists per set, helping Kentucky hit .260 for the year compared to a .173 mark for their opponents. UK lost to two Pac-12 teams this season, falling to Washington State in the season opener and also falling at USC, but Kentucky also had some outstanding wins, like a road sweep at Florida and a win over Big East champ and 21st-ranked Creighton.
Colorado State earned an at-large bid to its 22nd straight NCAA tournament after finishing runner-up in the Mountain West behind Boise State. The Rams won seven of their final eight matches, with five of those matches going the full five sets, and going 4-1 in those five setters. CSU lost its only match against a Pac-12 opponent, falling in four sets at Colorado. They lost in straight sets to then-No. 3 Texas, but two sets were tight 25-23 finals. The Rams hit .286 on the year and hold opponents to .175, and rank among the NCAA leaders in blocks per set at 3.34. Junior outside hitter Sanja Cizmic led the team with 3.06 kills per set and was named all-conference. Setter Katie Oleksak was named Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West, averaging 11.36 assists per set, and redshirt freshman Kirstie Hillyer was Newcomer of the Year as she ranks fifth in the NCAA with 1.58 blocks per set. Middle blocker Alexandra Poletto (1.30 blocks per set) and outside hitter Jasmine Hanna (2.96 kills per set) also earend all-conference.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballBack in front with Set 3! Let's close it out!
Sunday, November 16
Amazing up from Alexis and Kierstyn finishes a brilliant first set from the Dawgs
Sunday, November 16
Huskies Take Set 1 vs Illinois 🔥
Saturday, November 15
Simona seals it! Dawgs claim set one.
Sunday, November 09
