Pac-12 | What we learned from Washington’s win against Seattle U

#7 Washington 3, Seattle University 0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-21)

next: Friday, September 7 | 7pm | Long Beach State @ Washington

The Washington Huskies continue to do right. As in right side.

Senior Kylin Muñoz and sophomore Kaleigh Nelson—both playing primarily on the right side—were all but unstoppable in Washington’s 3-0 win in a crosstown friendly against Seattle U.

Muñoz had 8 kills and no errors on 14 swings (.571), while Nelson added five kills and no errors on 7 swings (.714) … that’s a combined 13 kills, no errors on 21 attempts (.619). That’s money.

“The right side was not our strongest side last season,” said Washington coach Jim McLaughlin. “We put a real emphasis on it this year.”

Washington's Cassie Strickland serves an ace against Seattle U
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

S
Setters Jenni Nogueras and Katy Beals dished out their best distribution of the season, sending 21 attempts to Muñoz and Nelson, 32 attempts to Krista Vansant (8 kills, 3 errors) and Gabbi Parker (4 kills, no errors), plus 20 chances to the middles—Amanda Gil (6 kills, 2 errors, 9 attempts |.444), Lianna Sybeldon (3 kills, 1 error, 6 attempts | .333) and Kelcey Dunaway (1 kill, 1 error, 5 attempts | .000). Gil, in particular, showed flashes of power on the quick sets that could be a big weapon when the Pac-12 season starts 11 days from now.

Katy Beals (7)  sets Amanda Gil (1)
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

Great distribution follows directly from great passing. Seattle U did not serve all that tough, and the Huskies kept the rallies short. Conversely, Washington’s serve was often punishing, tallying 10 aces, including 4 by Beals and 3 consecutive bombs by Cassie Strickland.

Seattle setter Jacquie Brice struggled all night, chasing the Redhawks’ erratic passes. She sent most of her chances to Sarah Jaeckel (10 kills on 24 attempts) and Kaytlyn Dill (8 kills on 23 attempts.) As a team, however, Seattle hit just .101, largely due to Jaeckel’s 8 hitting errors. Washington, by contrast, had 8 total errors for the match, hitting .368.

The victory was Washington’s 38^th consecutive nonconference win, dating back to 2008. During that string, the Huskies have dropped just one set, last season in a 3-1 victory at Long Beach. That same Long Beach State team will be at Alaska Airlines Arena tonight at 7pm, and then at Seattle U’s Connolly Center Saturday night at 7pm.

The win was also the 500^th of Jim McLaughlin’s coaching career. He remains the only coach to win both an NCAA men’s (with USC) and NCAA women’s (with Washington) volleyball national championship.

And what does winning 500 mean?

“I suppose,” McLaughlin said, “I’d like to win 500 more.”

Jim McLaughlin's Year-By-Year Head Coaching Record (as of 9/6/2012)
Year	School	Record
1990	USC (M)	26-7
1991	USC (M)	34-2
1992	USC (M)	11-13
1993	USC (M)	18-12
1994	USC (M)	23-8
1995	USC (M)	16-17
1996	USC (M)	14-16
1997	Kansas State (W)	20-13
1998	Kansas State (W)	19-12
1999	Kansas State (W)	21-9
2000	Kansas State (W)	22-9
2001	Washington (W)	11-16
2002	Washington (W)	20-11
2003	Washington (W)	23-9
2004	Washington (W)	28-3
2005	Washington (W)	32-1
2006	Washington (W)	29-5
2007	Washington (W)	27-4
2008	Washington (W)	27-5
2009	Washington (W)	24-6
2010	Washington (W)	24-9
2011	Washington (W)	24-8
2012	Washington (W)	7-0
TOTAL	OVERALL	500-195 (7.19)
	At USC (M)	142-75 (.654)
	At Kansas St (W)	82-43 (.656)
	At Washington (W)	276-77 (.782)
	As women’s coach	358-120 (.749)

NOTES

Jim McLaughlin and Teron Uy
-Volleyblog Seattle photo
by Leslie Hamann

• Seattle U head coach Shannon Ellis was not at the match … she gave birth last Monday to a baby girl. Acting head coach Teron Uy warmly greeted McLaughlin before and after the match; the two men have been friends for years, and Uy has long been a student of McLaughlin’s system.
• Just last week, #4 Texas was poised to take over the top spot in the national rankings. The Longhorns were promptly swept by #2 Penn State, then returned home last night to lose 1-3 to #12 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are coached by Hugh McCutcheon, who came on board after leading the USA to a silver medal at the London Olympics. Texas will quickly get a shot at revenge, as the two teams meet again tonight in Austin.
• In the other big match tonight, #15 San Diego takes on #5 USC at Galen Center. On Sunday, #3 UCLA plays #6 Hawai'i in Honolulu.

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WRITTEN BY Jack Hamann | PHOTOS BY Leslie Hamann

www.nolittlethings.com

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