Huskies Prevail In NCAA Tourney Opener

Friday, November 30

Omaha, NE

1:30 PM

University of Washington

19-12

Saint Mary's (California)

19-10

Saint Mary's

Washington

November 30, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score WATCH: Top Plays Vs Saint Mary's Box Score PDF Gameday Central NCAA Bracket

By: UW Athletic Communications

OMAHA, Neb. – The Huskies began their seventeenth consecutive NCAA tournament with the same result as the previous sixteen: a victory. Washington knocked off Saint Mary's in a war from the service line, advancing to the second round of the tournament where they will face either South Dakota or the host school and No. 9-seed Creighton on Saturday.

The Huskies are now 17-0 in first round matches since starting their consecutive tournament streak way back in 2002. This was the first time the Huskies have been away from home for round one since 2011, but the Huskies got comfortable in D.J. Sokol Arena and held off a late push by Saint Mary's to advance, 25-22, 25-17, 24-26, 25-22.

Washington will play for a trip to the Sweet 16 tomorrow at 5 p.m. Pacific time in a match streamed live on Fox Sports Go.

The Huskies are bound for round 2??#PointHuskies // #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/hsgTRAeuiT
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) December 1, 2018

"Not a boring match to open this tournament," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "Every team you play is going to fight for their lives, and I thought Saint Mary's was awesome. The way they served the ball, we knew they could serve it tough, and we volleyed back a little bit with them. But it was not an easy match by any means and I thought they played with a lot of competitive fire, and I was really happy to see us finish off that fourth set the way we did."

The teams combined for 24 service aces, 12 for each side. But when the points went past the first contact, the Huskies were much more efficient, hitting a season-high .360 compared to a .213 mark for the Gaels. Washington (19-12) also had a big edge in blocking, 15.0 to 6.0) and ended with more digs, 43 to 38.

Junior Kara Bajema put away 16 kills to lead the offense while hitting .400 and putting down four blocks. Junior Avie Niece hit .545 with seven kills and seven blocks. Sophomore Samantha Drechsel and freshman Claire Hoffman also had double-figure kills with better than .300 attack percentages. Hoffman had 13 kills and hit .346, while Drechsel had 11 on a .348 mark.

Bajema said, "In terms of the attack, just keeping it high and keeping it deep, hitting our shots, something we struggled with early in the season, but that was something we were working on (today)."

Freshman Ella May Powell collected 43 assists and tied her season-high with six blocks, adding three kills and seven digs and keeping the offense in a groove. Junior libero Shayne McPherson had 13 digs.

Senior Destiny Julye, Hoffman, and sophomore Maria Bogomolova all had three aces apiece as every Husky server had at least one ace.

SET 1: Bajema opened the match with a reception that led to her first kill. The teams traded sideouts early with Hoffman getting her first kill out of the back. Bajema served up an ace for a 4-2 Husky lead. Another ace came from Julye, catching tape and dropping, for 7-4. Two Gaels blocks helped them score three to tie it at seven. Avie Niece got the first Husky block in the middle for 10-8 Dawgs. She followed that with another block assisted by Powell and then Maria Bogomolova had an assist to Bajema for a kill to cap a 4-0 Husky run for 12-8. A tough Powell serve was overpassed and Niece smashed it down for 14-9. Drechsel converted in transition from the right side for a 16-10 lead. Saint Mary's got a couple back but Niece and Drechsel prevented a third with a rejection for 17-12. A kill by Hoffman with a Gaels net error made it 19-13, but Saint Mary's rallied with four straight points to force a Husky timeout at 19-17, as SMC had two aces in the run. Out of the break, Sanders dropped a tip over and down for 20-17, but Saint Mary's came back with a kill and another ace to get within one. A Husky error and things were tied at 20-20. Powell got UW the lead back with a dump on second contact, and then Bajema roofed one on the left for 22-20. Another block by Niece and Powell made it 23-20 and forced Saint Mary's final timeout. Saint Mary's had a kill in serve-receive and then served their fifth ace to make it 23-22 and UW used its last timeout. Hoffman came up with the pass out of the break and Bajema pounded one straight to the floor for set point at 24-22. On the next point, a dig from Drechsel let Powell find Bajema again and she ended it, 25-22, with her sixth kill of the set. The Huskies hit .429 in the set and held SMC to .179 thanks in part to five blocks.

SET 2: Hoffman got the Dawgs going with consecutive aces on the first two points of the second. Bogomolova added a third ace in the early going and then Bajema had a solo stuff on the left for 5-1 Dawgs. Hoffman delivered a kill in transition from the left for 8-3. Powell flipped a tight set backwards for a kill to make it 11-7 Dawgs and Hoffman then aced the Gaels again to get back to the five-point lead. Slide kills from Sanders and Niece kept the Huskies siding out up 15-10. Drechsel got a kill off the block on the right and an error from the Gaels pushed things to 19-12. Drechsel and Sanders then teamed for a stuff for 20-12 and SMC took its last timeout. McPherson had a pancake during a long rally that Hoffman finished as the Huskies reached set point at 24-14. Saint Mary's saved a couple but Powell dumped to end it, 25-17. The Dawgs posted another stellar attacking set, hitting .400 compared to .172 for Saint Mary's and had four aces to one for SMC. Seven Huskies had at least one kill in the set.

SET 3: Bajema delivered a perfect pass and kill on the first point of the third set. Bogomolova floated another ace for a 3-0 lead. The Gaels got the next three but all on Husky miscues. Bajema untied it with a kill from the left and then Drechsel put one through the block for 5-3. Powell kept it going with an ace off the defense and then Niece got a Powell quick set in transition and hammered it for 7-3 to cap a 4-0 run. Momentum quickly reversed course again, as a number of Husky errors aided the Gaels on a 6-1 run during which the Dawgs called a timeout. Trailing 9-11, Drechsel had a kill and then Julye served up two straight aces to get the Huskies up, 12-11. Again Saint Mary's answered with its own 3-0 run for 12-14. Bajema tied it as she ran down a long bump set from Hoffman and put it into the corner for 15-15. Bogomolova had a dig and Powell hit Bajema for another laser from the left and then a Gaels error forced them into a timeout at 17-15 Huskies. The Gaels scored out of the break but Bajema answered in serve-receive. Drechsel hit down an overpass as the Dawgs got to 20-18. Hoffman delivered a big kill high off the block for 21-19 and followed that up with the first point on serve in a nine point stretch as she converted after a Bajema dig for 22-19 and SMC used its last timeout. Saint Mary's scored in serve-receive and then the Huskies missed one long for 22-21, but Hoffman tooled the block on the next point for the big sideout. But SMC got a kill off the Husky block and then served up its ninth ace to tie it at 23-23 and force UW's last timeout. Bajema had three swings at the next point but ultimately Sanders and Powell ended it with a huge block for match point at 24-23. Saint Mary's saved it with a tip that just fell off the block. UW then overpassed the next point and Saint Mary's converted for set point at 24-25. Washington then let the Saint Mary's serve go and it hit the end line for another ace, and SMC stayed alive with the 24-26 win. The Huskies and Gaels both hit .393 in the set and both had four aces. Bajema had seven kills on 11 swings without an error in the frame.

SET 4: The three points to end the set turned into five points to start the fourth set for Saint Mary's and UW had to take a timeout down 0-5. Bajema broke the drought out of the break and Niece got a block for 2-5. Another solo block for Niece made it 5-8 Gaels. A couple errors for Saint Mary's inched the Huskies back into it, and then McPherson tied it up at 9-9 with an ace. Hoffman then stuffed one down on the left to get UW its first lead at 10-9. The teams went back and forth for several rallies, with big kills from Bajema and Sanders tying things up each time. Hoffman put one through the block out of the back row for 14-14. Niece killed a quick in transition and then Drechsel put one away from the right for 16-14 Dawgs. A double contact by SMC made it 18-15 and the Gaels called timeout as UW had scored five of the last six. The teams traded the next four points out of the break with Hoffman and Drechsel coming through with kills, using the Gaels block. Saint Mary's blocked Sanders on a slide to cut it to 20-19. But the Gaels served long, and then Sanders and Powell got up and sent back the next Saint Mary's swing for 22-19. On the next point, Saint Mary's went the other way, but Bajema roofed the right side attempt straight down for 23-19, forcing SMC's last timeout. The Gaels won a wild rally out of the break and then dug several swings from Bajema to convert two in a row to get to 23-22 and the Huskies had to use their final timeout. The Dawgs ran the slide to Sanders out of the break and the timing was perfect, as Sanders converted for match point at 24-22. Bogomolova quickly put an end to it with one more ace for the Dawgs. The Huskies hit .226 in the set while Saint Mary's hit .135. Six big blocks helped the Dawgs, three from Sanders and Powell.