No. 17 Huskies Rally Past No. 14 San Diego In Opener

Friday, August 24

Seattle, WA

7:00 PM

University of Washington

1-0

San Diego

0-1

San Diego

Washington

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

August 24, 2018 | Volleyball

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By: UW Athletic Communications

SEATTLE – There were many new faces and some returners in new places tonight, but a new-look Husky volleyball squad gradually improved throughout its season-opening showdown with 14th-ranked San Diego, losing the first set but winning the next three for a great start to the 2018 campaign. The 17th-ranked Huskies (1-0) were led by the 20 kills of junior Kara Bajema and an impressive setting debut from true freshman Ella May Powell who had 46 assists, 10 digs, three kills and two aces.

The 21-25, 28-26, 25-21, 25-22 victory was the 17th consecutive season-opening win for the Dawgs, but this was the first time since 2006 that the Huskies opened against a top-25 opponent. Now the Huskies will have to back it up on Saturday, as the Huskies and Toreros will face each other one more time tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.

After hitting .118 in the first set as a team, the Huskies improved to .132 in the second, but then jumped to .391 in the third and also hit an impressive .343 in the fourth, as Bajema, Lauren Sanders, and Destiny Julye all raised their attacking games.

Bajema was the only Husky to reach 20 kills a year ago, doing it three times, and she got there in the first match tonight, closing strong with seven kills in set four. She hit .308 and added two solo blocks. Sanders wound up with 12 kills, hitting .375 with three blocks and an ace. Julye had nine kills, hitting .240, with two aces and a career-high seven blocks. Junior Avie Niece had a solid debut with seven kills, hitting .400, plus six blocks, and junior Shayne McPherson led the team with 14 digs from her libero spot.

Shayne McPherson led the Dawgs with 14 digs tonight and she recaps tonight's Dub
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— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) August 25, 2018

Head Coach Keegan Cook, now 4-0 in season openers, talked about the team's commitment to "trying to improve as the match goes on and trying to demonstrate a little bit of resilience. A lot of our hitters were not doing so hot early on, and each set seemed to find more of a rhythm, so I'm really, really pleased with that.

After the early struggles for Bajema, Sanders and Julye, Cook said, "I thought about making some changes after the first set, maybe even after the second, but decided to let them work through it and demonstrate that core value of resilience to us and credit to them. Ella May stuck with them and gave them some good balls to hit. It went about as well as it could go for Ella May's first match against a team like this. Great decision making, great ability to communicate with the staff on what she's experiencing out there."

SET 1: Avie Niece got the first point for the Dawgs hammering down an overpass on the third point of the set. Destiny Julye picked up a couple kills on the right side but a couple Husky errors made it 3-8 San Diego and the Huskies called their first timeout. Out of the break, Lauren Sanders killed a slide attack and Kara Bajema got her first kill from Powell for 5-8. A great dig from Cailin Onosko led to a Bajema rocket as the Huskies trailed, 7-12. Samantha Drechsel got the first Husky block of the set to cut it to 10-13, and then Niece had a solo block in the middle for another and Drechsel then roofed a third in a row for 12-13 and San Diego needed its first timeout. Out of the break, the Huskies tied it on a Torero error and then they took their first lead as Sanders and Julye rejected another for 15-14. San Diego got back on top by two on a block of its own but Drechsel tipped into the campfire from the back row and USD missed long for 19-all. The blocks went back to San Diego's side for two points and UW took timeout down 19-21. Niece got the sideout with a quick kill from Powell out of the break. San Diego got to set point at 21-24 with a block and then ended a long rally with a kill on the next point to take it, 21-25. The Huskies had five blocks in the first set but San Diego countered with six to hold UW to a .118 attack percentage. Niece had four kills on six swings without an error to lead the Dawgs.

SET 2: Powell picked up her first career kill followed a point later by her first career block to get UW on the board in the second set. San Diego pushed ahead, 5-9, but Julye blasted one down and then Drechsel took some speed off for another kill to cut it to 7-9. Julye dropped an ace straight to the court to tie it up at 9-9. But San Diego responded with a 4-0 run to go back up on top and the Huskies took timeout down 11-15. Out of the break, Bajema killed an overpass and then had a solo block for 13-15. Julye ended the longest rally of the match to that point with a slam on the right and Drechsel ended another long rally from the left to pull within two, but the Toreros came back and forced a Husky timeout at 16-20. Out of the break, Sanders put away a quick kill in serve-receive, then hit down an overpass, and on the next point Powell found her again for a 3-0 run to make it 19-20 and force a San Diego timeout. The Toreros broke the run but Sanders answered back again for 20-21. The Dawgs finally got even at 22-all on a Bajema crosscourt swing but San Diego retook the lead on the next point. Bajema tied it again with a tough swing from well off the net. San Diego got to set point with a kill but then served long. They got another chance but the Huskies prevailed in a marathon rally with a Torero swing into the net, then a ball-handling error got UW on top for the first time at 26-25 and USD called time. The Toreros saved it with a kill but then ended the next rally with an error to give UW a second chance. On her second swing of the rally, Drechsel hit off the block and it rolled over and down for the big finishing kill to give UW the 28-26 thriller. The Toreros outhit the Huskies, .148 to .132 in the set, but UW had the one ace and didn't miss a serve, with Bajema's five kills and Sanders' four leading the offense while Powell had six digs to go with 11 assists.

SET 3: Bajema opened the third set with a kill off the block and then a solo rejection for a 2-0 lead. The Dawgs continued their best early set play as Powell served up an ace and then she set Sanders for a kill. Julye and Sanders teamed for a rejection and Julye served up another ace as the Huskies moved on top, 10-5, forcing a Toreros timeout. Sanders pummeled a slide set and a Toreros error made it 12-6. Sanders cranked on another slide set for a kill and Julye put one down inside the San Diego block for 15-9 Huskies. San Diego made a run with some tough serving as UW struggled to pass and then let an ace drop in to cut it to 16-14 and prompting a timeout. The teams traded two point runs out of the break, then Powell dumped for a kill and 19-16. Powell drove a float serve for an ace and 22-18 and San Diego used its final timeout. San Diego got a quick strike kill but Bajema answered in serve-receive from the right. A USD error made it set point Huskies at 24-19. The Toreros saved a couple before serving long to end it, 25-21. The Dawgs found their groove on offense in the third, hitting .391 to .280 for the Toreros. Sanders and Bajema both had four kills apiece and Powell had 10 assists and two aces.

SET 4: Sanders had a kill and then rotated back and served an ace for a 2-1 lead in set four. Powell saved a tight pass with a one-hand set to Sanders who finished, and then Bajema crushed a back row kill for a 7-5 lead. It was tied up again at 8-8 when Bajema found a sharp angle from the left for the sideout. Powell won a joust at the net and then Niece and Julye got up for a stuff to make it 11-9 Dawgs. Two more transition kills off the block for UW by Julye and Bajema made it 13-9 and San Diego took time. Out of the break, Powell had her 10th dig and McPherson bump set Julye for a right side blast. The run hit six with another Julye finish for 15-9. San Diego broke the run and added two more before Bajema stopped the streak with a big right side swing for 16-12. Niece and Julye got a clutch block for 17-13 Dawgs. Two more Toreros points made it 17-15 and the Huskies used their first timeout. The Toreros pulled within one but Bajema landed one out of the back row for 19-17 and then San Diego found the net to tally another for the Dawgs. Powell set Sanders for a slide kill for 21-18 and then Natalie Robinson checked in for the first time to serve. Bajema slammed crosscourt to the floor in serve-receive for 22-19. San Diego got a kill and then Bajema finally cooled off with a couple errors and it was tied at 22-all as UW called time. Drechsel had a perfect pass and Niece crushed the Powell set to break the tie and a USD error gave the Huskies match point at 24-22, prompting a Toreros timeout. On San Diego's first swing on the next point, Niece and Julye went up and turned the shot back across San Diego's side of the net and down for the finishing stuff as UW grabbed the set, 25-22. Washington hit well again in the fourth, posting a .343 mark while San Diego also hit well at .294 but seven kills in the final set from Bajema and 14 assists from Powell helped get it done.