#5 Washington 3,
Arizona 1 (25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 25-23)
Washington, Oregon
and BYU are the only three remaining undefeated D1 teams
Playing time is earned, not presumed.
That’s Washington coach Jim McLaughlin’s mantra, and today
it had to be ringing in Gabbi Parker’s and Cassie Strickland’s ears.
Parker, a junior, has been Washington’s primary OH2 this
season. But this afternoon in Tucson, McLaughlin started Strickland, a freshman.
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Cassie Strickland
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann
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Both players are emotional, both on the court and off.
Against the Wildcats, each rode that emotional roller-coaster throughout a tense Washington victory.
Strickland started the match with a service error, the first
of many. Her powerful jump serve is an all-or-nothing weapon, and today she
fired mostly blanks behind the service line.
Parker stayed on the bench until the Huskies had a
comfortable 19-11 first set lead. Huskies hitters—including Strickland—had been
on fire, committing just two errors and hitting .464 for the set (to just .103
for Arizona). Parker responded with two kills of her own, including the set
winner.
In the second set, Strickland again got the nod, delivering
two early kills. Parker finally entered with UW trailing 15-16, just before
freshman setter Katy Beals served three consecutive aces to put the Huskies
ahead 20-19. After a relative quiet first set, Kylin Muñoz erupted, connecting
on 6 kills. Krista Vansant, who had three
kills in the first set, also added six in the second.
After the break, Strickland was still the starter, recording
a block, a kill and another service error, before giving way to Parker with
Washington trailing 11-15. With Arizona’s Taylor Arizobal connecting at will,
Parker’s one kill and one error contributed to Washington’s anemic .156 average for
the set, and an 18-25 loss—only the second time the Huskies dropped a set all
season.
Finally, McLaughlin started Parker in the fourth. And if
McLaughlin had hoped to light a fire, it seemed to work.
Parker’s first kill made it 2-3, her second tied the score
at 4. Back-to-back kills pulled the Huskies ahead 12-11. Her fifth kill made
the score 20-18, then she teamed with Amanda Gil for a double block to make it
21-18.
Then the wheels almost fell off.
After two consecutive Parker attack errors, McLaughlin
called time out. But back on the court, Parker made it three errors in a row.
McLaughlin did not, however, bring out the hook. Parker
stayed in as the teams exchanged side outs until Washington held a 23-22
advantage. Only then did McLaughlin decide to give Strickland another chance to
serve. The Huskies won the rally, but at match point: Strickland’s final
service error, her fifth of the contest. It took Muñoz to send the Huskies
home happy with the match winner, her 14th kill (.370).
Vansant led all hitters with 15 kills on just 3 errors and
39 swings (.308); Kaleigh Nelson had another stellar match with 8 kills and 1
error on 21 attempts (.333). Despite her service errors (and one ace),
Strickland had five kills and no errors.
As McLaughlin gets ready for UCLA this Wednesday and USC
on Friday, you can be sure that every player will realize they have a shot at
starting … or at sitting on the bench. Other coaches may prefer lineup
stability, but McLaughlin believes competition brings out the best in his
players, both as athletes and as students.
