Wednesday, September 21
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Washington State
Huskies And Cougars Start Pac-12 Play In Seattle
September 19, 2016 | Volleyball
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
#4 Washington hosts Washington State • 7 pm
Alaska Airlines Arena
Live on Pac-12 Networks - Live Stats
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
#4 Washington at #21 USC • 7 pm
Los Angeles • Galen Center
Live on Pac-12 Networks - Live Stats
SEATTLE - The Pac-12 season is at hand for the Husky volleyball team and that means rivalries renewed. Washington and Washington State get right down to business this Wednesday at Alaska Airlines Arena in the Pac-12 opener, starting at 7 p.m. and airing on the Pac-12 Networks. The Dawgs will then retrace their steps down to Los Angeles, where they just finished nonconference play, and return to the Galen Center to take on 21st-ranked USC on Friday, Sept. 23, for the only meeting between the 2015 co-Pac-12 Champions this season.
Fourth-ranked Washington continued a remarkable string of success in nonconference play, finishing 10-0, the eighth straight season without a defeat in the run-up to Pac-12 play. The Dawgs traveled far and wide and made a lot of progress through their first ten matches, pulling out five set wins at American and at then-No. 14 Hawaii, and working several new players into the rotation, and several returners into expanded roles.
Among the conference leaders, junior Courtney Schwan ranks seventh in kills per set at 3.53, while Crissy Jones is seventh in points per set with 4.33, and third in aces per set at 0.44. Freshman Kara Bajema has moved up to No. 5 in blocks per set with a 1.50 average. The Huskies rank in the top half of the Pac-12 in all team stats so far including ranking fourth in attack percentage at .281 and third in opponent attack percentage at .155.
Washington State comes in looking to spoil UW's conference opener having made a strong run through its nonconference schedule, and the Cougars are receiving votes in the AVCA poll, getting the 31st-most points. The Cougars are 10-2, having only lost to Purdue, currently ranked 10th nationally, and a five set loss at Baylor in their most recent match. WSU got big wins over then-No. 24 Kentucky, UC Irvine, Long Beach State, and Virginia. The one common opponent between UW and WSU so far is Idaho, which WSU swept and the Huskies beat in four sets. Senior Kyra Holt was a Preseason All-Pac-12 pick and is fifth in WSU history with 1,443 career kills. She is averaging 3.66 kills per set to rank sixth in the conference this year. WSU is leading the Pac-12 by holding opponents to just .110 on offense, partly by ranking second in the Pac-12 (and third in the NCAA) in blocks per set with 3.38. Middle blockers Claire Martin and Taylor Mims have been equally prolific, Martin ranking 13th nationally with 1.53 blocks per set and Mims 15th with 1.51.
The Huskies and Trojans shared the Pac-12 title last year with matching 18-2 records, each team beating the other once on their home courts. USC will not make the trip to Seattle this year, so UW will have to gain its edge in L.A. USC got off to a rocky 0-3 start to the year but has since rebounded with eight wins in a row to move back into the top-25 after it had dropped out following week one. A freshman, Khalia Lanier, is leading USC with 3.87 kills per set, helping fill the void left by 2015 Pac-12 Player of the Year Samantha Bricio's graduation. Senior middle blocker Elise Ruddins currently leads the Pac-12 with a .480 hitting percentage and her middle counterpart Jordan Dunn is seventh with 1.35 blocks per set. A former Husky, 2014 team member Reni Meyer-Whalley, joined USC after taking a year away from the sport, and she leads the team with 5.85 assists per set, after playing libero at UW. The Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight last year, matching UW for the longest NCAA run by a Pac-12 team.
Players Mentioned
DAWGS GET IT DONE!! 😤
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