Huskies Finish Off Owls In Four

Saturday, September 8

Pittsburgh, PA

4:00 PM

University of Washington

5-2

Kennesaw State

6-3

Kennesaw State

Washington

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

September 08, 2018 | Volleyball

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By: UW Athletic Communications

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Husky volleyball team rallied back after a tough start to its Saturday to earn a double-header split this evening, and finish the Panther Invitational with a 2-1 record. 13th-ranked Washington (5-2) had an afternoon loss to 12th-ranked Pitt (9-0) then had to turn around and face a tough Kennesaw State squad that made the NCAA tourney a year ago. The Dawgs went down a set to the Owls (6-3) but pulled out a crucial set two and went on to control the final two sets for a key win.

Washington dropped the first set, 19-25, but came up clutch for the 27-25 second set win and then won the third and fourth, 25-19 and 25-20, respectively.

The Huskies had a balanced offensive production this evening, as four players reached double-figure kills. Samantha Drechsel led with 13 kills, hitting .286, Kara Bajema had 12 kills and eight digs, and freshman Shannon Crenshaw played six rotations for the first time and had a career-high 12 kills along with four blocks. Sophomore middle Lauren Sanders also bounced back from a tough morning with 10 kills on a .615 attack percentage with six blocks.

Head Coach Keegan Cook said it was a difficult day for the Dawgs starting with an "outstanding Pitt team that played really well, then a short rest to play a team that we watched battle hard all weekend (in Kennesaw State). Really impressed with their effort level. We knew what we were in for in terms of the quality of opponent but they jumped on us. Our effort level did not match theirs until the second set. We had to dig in. Our effort level in set two on made us eligible to play better against Kennesaw."

Setter Ella May Powell and libero Shayne McPherson were named to the Panther Invitational All-Tournament Team. Powell had 38 assists, seven digs, and five blocks today while McPherson had a match-high 17 digs and also tallied seven assists.

"Ella May and Shayne, I thought they gave some outstanding effort in the second match today," said Cook. "Ella May had to run down some tough passes. We have to get better around the net is the consistent theme, especially with our blocking."

Along with Crenshaw's increased role, freshman Marin Grote also got an extended run in the middle against the Owls and the Burbank, Calif. native had three kills, two solo blocks, and two block assists.

"We shuffled some positions and let Shannon play all the way around as an outside hitter and she made some smart, little plays for us," said Cook. "Sam did some hitting and blocking on the right. Marin gave us a little boost in the middle. The younger players were fresh and able to give us some quality minutes in that second match."

UP NEXT: The Dawgs will be back on the road next week, heading to Boise, Idaho for the final week of nonconference before the Pac-12 season. The Huskies will face Boise State, CSUN, and Sacramento State at the Bronco Classic.