Saturday, August 26
Seattle, Wash.
7:00 PM
University of Washington
2-1
1
vs
3
Creighton
3-0
1
2
3
4
F
Creighton
25
25
14
25
3
Washington
22
17
25
23
1
No. 9 Bluejays Upend No. 3 Huskies In Four Sets
August 26, 2017 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – In a battle of 2016 Elite Eight participants, ninth-ranked Creighton came into Alaska Airlines Arena firing on all cylinders from the start, and then withstood a strong rally from the third-ranked Washington squad to get the victory, 25-22, 25-17, 14-25, 25-23, and win the season-opening Husky Invitational in front of 2,252 fans.
The Huskies (2-1) could never seem to inch ahead in the first two sets, especially set one where there were seven tie scores but the Huskies did not lead after 2-0. Down 0-2 at the break, Washington came back out and dominated the third set, and held a 22-20 lead late in the fourth, when both teams were playing at a level worthy of their top-10 rankings. But Creighton made the tough plays late to push back ahead and stop UW's comeback attempt in four.
It's the first time the Huskies have suffered a loss prior to Pac-12 play since the 2008 season when UW lost at Hawaii on Sept. 13. Creighton hit .270 on the night compared to .242 for the Dawgs, and had one more kill, 58-57. The teams were even in aces with four, while UW had the edge in blocks (11.0-7.5) and digs (66-61).
"Pretty high level of Creighton for the entire night," said third-year Head Coach Keegan Cook. "I thought we made some changes in the third and fourth set and kind of reached their level, but they were sharp passing early on and running a nice offense and siding out at a nice rate. Pleased that we caught up eventually, but it wasn't enough."
Senior Carly DeHoog had a career-high 13 kills to lead the Huskies, hitting .375. She was named to the All-Tournament Team along with freshman Lauren Sanders, who had 11 kills and five blocks, hitting .348, and played especially strong in sets three and four. Courtney Schwan and Kara Bajema also had 11 kills each, with Bajema getting nine of those in the last two sets. Schwan added 16 digs for a double-double. Senior Tia Scambray led all players with 20 digs.
Despite the rare home setback, Coach Cook was happy with the opportunity to improve that the weekend will ultimately provide. Even with seven seniors and all starters returning from last year's Pac-12 title, UW had two new starting middle blockers this week, a new starting libero, and new positions for sophomores Bajema and Shayne McPherson, and was playing without All-American Crissy Jones, out with an ankle injury.
"What I wanted most was just a clear path for the players. If you want to compete with teams like Creighton and teams that are playing in that regional round, what do we need to do? and we were going to find that out tonight win or lose, and maybe we found out a little bit more in this tough loss."
A kill in transition from Courtney Schwan collected point one of the match. Marion Hazelwood's first kill behind setter Bailey Tanner made it 3-1 early. A questionable call went against the Huskies on a should've been block from Schwan, but UW responded with a kill from DeHoog and an ace by Schwan for a 6-4 lead. Sanders tipped over into empty space for a 7-6 lead. Creighton took five of the next six points to take the lead, 8-11. Schwan rolled one over and down after a great dig from Julye to cut the gap to one at 11-12. DeHoog put away consecutive kills from the right and left to tie it back up at 14-14. After the media timeout, Sanders hammered a quick set for 15-all, but UW hit twice out of bounds to fall back behind by three and took its first timeout. Out of the break, Julye hammered crosscourt in serve-receive for 16-18. Julye got a kill on a touch call that was overturned by replay, to make it 18-19. A block by Schwan pulled UW within a point again but Creighton sided out. The Dawgs got even again at 21 as a perfect dig from Scambray let Tanner find DeHoog on the right for a kill, and the Bluejays called timeout. Creighton got a kill on its first swing, and then Sanders missed a quick wide for 21-23 and UW used its last timeout. A Creighton block made it set point at 21-24. Sanders saved one with a tip, but the Bluejays took the next point to take the set, 22-25. The Huskies hit just .184 in the set while Creighton finished at .268 with 16 kills to 15 for UW, all assisted by Tanner.
The Bluejays won four of the first five points of the second set until Schwan capped a frantic rally with a final big swing to stop the momentum. But Creighton pushed ahead to an 8-4 lead and the Huskies called an early timeout. Out of the break, DeHoog sparked UW with back-to-back kills and then Sanders roofed the Bluejays to bring it to 7-8. A third DeHoog kill kept it close at 9-11. Tanner and Hazelwood sent one back to pull within one at 10-11, then Hazelwood tied it up by spiking a Creighton overpass off a McPherson serve. After UW tied it at 12, Creighton ran off another 6-1 run to force UW's last timeout at 13-18. Kara Bajema subbed in and ended a long rally with a kill off the block, but UW was still down 16-22. Creighton closed out the set, 25-17, to take the 2-0 lead.
Schwan started the third set with an ace, and Bajema ended a marathon rally with a crosscourt kill for 3-3. Freshman Natalie Robinson made her collegiate debut early in the frame to serve. Tanner and Hazelwood met up for a rejection and then Sanders rotated in and Tanner teamed with the freshman for another stuff to make it 7-5. A Scambray serve was overpassed and Sanders went back a step and hit it down for 8-5, forcing Creighton into a timeout. Sanders capped a long rally out of the break with a solo block of a tip, and then Scambray kept it going with an ace for 10-5. A Creighton error made it a 6-0 Husky run and the Bluejays signaled for time again. Washington kept rolling as Scambray had a perfect dig and Schwan put it away, then Sanders had a solo rejection for 13-6 before Creighton snapped the 8-0 run. Schwan tipped for a kill, and then DeHoog nailed a long distance set from Scambray for 17-7. Sanders came out of nowhere to stuff down a dig that looked to be headed for a Creighton arm swing, making it 18-7 Dawgs. The Bluejays got the lead under 10, but Sanders had a rocket out of the middle, and Hazelwood followed with a slide kill for 22-12. Tanner dumped for a kill to get to set point at 24-14, and then Schwan sent back a Bluejays swing to end it, 25-14. The Huskies heated up to .333 in the set and cooled the Bluejays down to .053. Sanders killed all four of her swings and had 4 total blocks to lead six total team blocks.
Schwan rolled one in on the first point of the fourth, and Bajema snapped one down with authority on the left for 2-1. DeHoog kept her career night going with an 11th kill from the right for 3-3. Bajema rifled one to the floor out of the back row to move the Dawgs ahead, 6-5. But the Huskies gave a couple points back by letting an overpass fall and then Creighton aced the Dawgs for 7-9 and UW took time. Schwan banged hard off the block and down out of the break to snap the run. Jade Finau laid out for a pancake, and then Hazelwood set it straight up for Bajema to knock down to tie it back up at 10-all. Hazelwood annihilated an overdig for 11's, and then Bajema rejected a slide to inch the Huskies back on top, 12-11. Hazelwood and Tanner then stuffed a quick attempt and Creighton needed time at 13-11. Out of the break, Bajema broke through the block again in transition to cap a 4-0 run. Creighton got even, and the teams traded sideouts, with Schwan putting two away on the left for 17-16. DeHoog trickled one along the tape and down for 19-17 but Creighton fought back with the next two. Bajema crushed one off the defense and into the seats to break the tie for 20-19, and then Finau aced the Bluejays for another big point. Another clutch swing from Bajema found the floor for 22-20 but Creighton answered. The Bluejays then won a wild rally to tie it up and then the Huskies had a miscue with a tight bump set and needed timeout, down 22-23. The Dawgs had a couple swings on the next rally but Creighton dug them and ended it with a kill to reach match point at 22-24. Creighton served into the net to give one chance away, but UW returned the favor with a long serve to end it, 23-25. The Huskies hit .333 for the second set in a row, but Creighton got going again and outhit the Dawgs with a .361 mark. Bajema put away six kills in the frame and Schwan had four without a miss, but Jaali Winters had eight kills to carry Creighton.
Washington will look to bounce back at home with three more matches next weekend, starting on Friday, Sept. 1, with Santa Clara coming in for a 7 p.m. match, followed by a Saturday double-header against Seattle U. and a strong Cal Poly squad.
Husky Invitational All-Tournament Team
Marysa Wilkinson, Creighton – Most Outstanding Player
Lydia Dimke, Creighton
Megan Ballenger, Creighton
Carly DeHoog, Washington
Lauren Sanders, Washington
Nika Markovic, Pitt
Sarah Chase, Saint Mary's
The Huskies (2-1) could never seem to inch ahead in the first two sets, especially set one where there were seven tie scores but the Huskies did not lead after 2-0. Down 0-2 at the break, Washington came back out and dominated the third set, and held a 22-20 lead late in the fourth, when both teams were playing at a level worthy of their top-10 rankings. But Creighton made the tough plays late to push back ahead and stop UW's comeback attempt in four.
It's the first time the Huskies have suffered a loss prior to Pac-12 play since the 2008 season when UW lost at Hawaii on Sept. 13. Creighton hit .270 on the night compared to .242 for the Dawgs, and had one more kill, 58-57. The teams were even in aces with four, while UW had the edge in blocks (11.0-7.5) and digs (66-61).
"Pretty high level of Creighton for the entire night," said third-year Head Coach Keegan Cook. "I thought we made some changes in the third and fourth set and kind of reached their level, but they were sharp passing early on and running a nice offense and siding out at a nice rate. Pleased that we caught up eventually, but it wasn't enough."
Senior Carly DeHoog had a career-high 13 kills to lead the Huskies, hitting .375. She was named to the All-Tournament Team along with freshman Lauren Sanders, who had 11 kills and five blocks, hitting .348, and played especially strong in sets three and four. Courtney Schwan and Kara Bajema also had 11 kills each, with Bajema getting nine of those in the last two sets. Schwan added 16 digs for a double-double. Senior Tia Scambray led all players with 20 digs.
Despite the rare home setback, Coach Cook was happy with the opportunity to improve that the weekend will ultimately provide. Even with seven seniors and all starters returning from last year's Pac-12 title, UW had two new starting middle blockers this week, a new starting libero, and new positions for sophomores Bajema and Shayne McPherson, and was playing without All-American Crissy Jones, out with an ankle injury.
"What I wanted most was just a clear path for the players. If you want to compete with teams like Creighton and teams that are playing in that regional round, what do we need to do? and we were going to find that out tonight win or lose, and maybe we found out a little bit more in this tough loss."
A kill in transition from Courtney Schwan collected point one of the match. Marion Hazelwood's first kill behind setter Bailey Tanner made it 3-1 early. A questionable call went against the Huskies on a should've been block from Schwan, but UW responded with a kill from DeHoog and an ace by Schwan for a 6-4 lead. Sanders tipped over into empty space for a 7-6 lead. Creighton took five of the next six points to take the lead, 8-11. Schwan rolled one over and down after a great dig from Julye to cut the gap to one at 11-12. DeHoog put away consecutive kills from the right and left to tie it back up at 14-14. After the media timeout, Sanders hammered a quick set for 15-all, but UW hit twice out of bounds to fall back behind by three and took its first timeout. Out of the break, Julye hammered crosscourt in serve-receive for 16-18. Julye got a kill on a touch call that was overturned by replay, to make it 18-19. A block by Schwan pulled UW within a point again but Creighton sided out. The Dawgs got even again at 21 as a perfect dig from Scambray let Tanner find DeHoog on the right for a kill, and the Bluejays called timeout. Creighton got a kill on its first swing, and then Sanders missed a quick wide for 21-23 and UW used its last timeout. A Creighton block made it set point at 21-24. Sanders saved one with a tip, but the Bluejays took the next point to take the set, 22-25. The Huskies hit just .184 in the set while Creighton finished at .268 with 16 kills to 15 for UW, all assisted by Tanner.
The Bluejays won four of the first five points of the second set until Schwan capped a frantic rally with a final big swing to stop the momentum. But Creighton pushed ahead to an 8-4 lead and the Huskies called an early timeout. Out of the break, DeHoog sparked UW with back-to-back kills and then Sanders roofed the Bluejays to bring it to 7-8. A third DeHoog kill kept it close at 9-11. Tanner and Hazelwood sent one back to pull within one at 10-11, then Hazelwood tied it up by spiking a Creighton overpass off a McPherson serve. After UW tied it at 12, Creighton ran off another 6-1 run to force UW's last timeout at 13-18. Kara Bajema subbed in and ended a long rally with a kill off the block, but UW was still down 16-22. Creighton closed out the set, 25-17, to take the 2-0 lead.
Schwan started the third set with an ace, and Bajema ended a marathon rally with a crosscourt kill for 3-3. Freshman Natalie Robinson made her collegiate debut early in the frame to serve. Tanner and Hazelwood met up for a rejection and then Sanders rotated in and Tanner teamed with the freshman for another stuff to make it 7-5. A Scambray serve was overpassed and Sanders went back a step and hit it down for 8-5, forcing Creighton into a timeout. Sanders capped a long rally out of the break with a solo block of a tip, and then Scambray kept it going with an ace for 10-5. A Creighton error made it a 6-0 Husky run and the Bluejays signaled for time again. Washington kept rolling as Scambray had a perfect dig and Schwan put it away, then Sanders had a solo rejection for 13-6 before Creighton snapped the 8-0 run. Schwan tipped for a kill, and then DeHoog nailed a long distance set from Scambray for 17-7. Sanders came out of nowhere to stuff down a dig that looked to be headed for a Creighton arm swing, making it 18-7 Dawgs. The Bluejays got the lead under 10, but Sanders had a rocket out of the middle, and Hazelwood followed with a slide kill for 22-12. Tanner dumped for a kill to get to set point at 24-14, and then Schwan sent back a Bluejays swing to end it, 25-14. The Huskies heated up to .333 in the set and cooled the Bluejays down to .053. Sanders killed all four of her swings and had 4 total blocks to lead six total team blocks.
Schwan rolled one in on the first point of the fourth, and Bajema snapped one down with authority on the left for 2-1. DeHoog kept her career night going with an 11th kill from the right for 3-3. Bajema rifled one to the floor out of the back row to move the Dawgs ahead, 6-5. But the Huskies gave a couple points back by letting an overpass fall and then Creighton aced the Dawgs for 7-9 and UW took time. Schwan banged hard off the block and down out of the break to snap the run. Jade Finau laid out for a pancake, and then Hazelwood set it straight up for Bajema to knock down to tie it back up at 10-all. Hazelwood annihilated an overdig for 11's, and then Bajema rejected a slide to inch the Huskies back on top, 12-11. Hazelwood and Tanner then stuffed a quick attempt and Creighton needed time at 13-11. Out of the break, Bajema broke through the block again in transition to cap a 4-0 run. Creighton got even, and the teams traded sideouts, with Schwan putting two away on the left for 17-16. DeHoog trickled one along the tape and down for 19-17 but Creighton fought back with the next two. Bajema crushed one off the defense and into the seats to break the tie for 20-19, and then Finau aced the Bluejays for another big point. Another clutch swing from Bajema found the floor for 22-20 but Creighton answered. The Bluejays then won a wild rally to tie it up and then the Huskies had a miscue with a tight bump set and needed timeout, down 22-23. The Dawgs had a couple swings on the next rally but Creighton dug them and ended it with a kill to reach match point at 22-24. Creighton served into the net to give one chance away, but UW returned the favor with a long serve to end it, 23-25. The Huskies hit .333 for the second set in a row, but Creighton got going again and outhit the Dawgs with a .361 mark. Bajema put away six kills in the frame and Schwan had four without a miss, but Jaali Winters had eight kills to carry Creighton.
Washington will look to bounce back at home with three more matches next weekend, starting on Friday, Sept. 1, with Santa Clara coming in for a 7 p.m. match, followed by a Saturday double-header against Seattle U. and a strong Cal Poly squad.
Husky Invitational All-Tournament Team
Marysa Wilkinson, Creighton – Most Outstanding Player
Lydia Dimke, Creighton
Megan Ballenger, Creighton
Carly DeHoog, Washington
Lauren Sanders, Washington
Nika Markovic, Pitt
Sarah Chase, Saint Mary's
Team Stats
CREI
WASH
Kills
58
57
Errors
18
21
Attempts
148
149
Hitting %
.270
.242
Points
69.5
72.0
Assists
53
53
Aces
4
4
Blocks
7.5
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
11
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
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