In Focus: Opportunities Help UW Volleyball ‘Make Something Special Happen’
December 08, 2016 | General, Volleyball
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Keegan Cook sat tucked away in his upstairs office inside Alaska Airlines Arena. Washington's volleyball coach was asked about a season that started fast, hit a wall and has now landed the Huskies in the Sweet 16 with a Friday matchup against Arizona in Lincoln, Neb.
Before talking about what's ahead, the coach talked about the process that led his team to this point.
"If you give yourself enough opportunities you can make something special happen," Cook said.
That is exactly what happened to Washington this season. A program that opened the year with six newcomers – five freshmen – started by dealing with adversity. The team traveled 13,000 miles during the first month. But the Huskies found success. They made it into Pac-12 play with a 10-0 record.
Then things got interesting. The Pac-12 race was tightly packed all year. And, at times, the team was worried about "winning the next match, instead of focusing on the things that actually matter," Cook said.
The season reached a crossroads in early November. Washington suffered a 3-0 home loss against Oregon.
"The kind of volleyball we were playing was not anything to be proud of," Cook said. "I thought maybe we were out of gas."
But, after the wakeup call, the Huskies showed they still had a plenty left in the tank. It started by grinding out a win against Oregon State in the program's next match.
"That wasn't an easy match to win," Cook said. "They were playing good volleyball."
That win over the Beavers was the first of nine straight for the program. Washington claimed the Pac-12 title and carried that momentum into the postseason.
"It just kind of kept building one match at a time," Cook said. "We're in a good spot in terms of what our behaviors look like and the kind of volleyball we're playing."
So what changed?
Well, it started with a commitment to defense.
"A lot of times we were perfectly OK just having these offensive slugfests with teams and not playing very inspired defense," Cook said. "We just talked about the team we wanted to be on the defensive side of the ball. That made a big difference."
Then Tia Scambray hit her stride.
"She had a great last month that put us over the top," Cook said.
And, once the Huskies started playing well, they stopped focusing on the results of other teams.
"We made a commitment to the team we want to be," he said.
And now, playing its best volleyball of the season, the Pac-12 champions head out on the road. The Huskies' early season experience away from home will now play dividends as they head to Nebraska.
"I'm really comfortable with us playing on the road in any environment," Cook said. "That Hawaii match was big for us. There have been some other matches in some gnarly environments that I think have benefitted us well.
"I don't think anyone in our program is concerned with the environment or the logistics, the things outside of our control. We know we've got to play some good volleyball this weekend, but we're comfortable and prepared to do it on the road."
A win against Arizona means a possible matchup with Nebraska in the Elite Eight. The two programs have met often through the years and, when asked about the Cornhuskers, Cook cracked a smile.
"It must be December," he said. "To even have the opportunity to play another conference champion in a regional means we must have done some things along the way."
But first, a matchup with a tough Arizona team – Cook said "Arizona is playing great volleyball" – the Huskies have knocked off twice this season.
Regardless of the opponent, venue and whatever comes next, Cook is proud of the way his Huskies have played.
"We've earned our way here," he said. "It's not like we lucked our way into this thing, so I'm really excited about the opportunity. It took a lot of growth to get here and I'm pretty happy for our kids."
