Final Four | Author David Guterson discovers volleyball, thanks to his daughter

As Final Four tickets sell quickly, Bainbridge Island author of “Snow Falling on Cedars” finds volleyball is “far more cerebral” than he imagined

• NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Final Four | December 19 & 21 | Key Arena, Seattle

NCAA | Washington volleyball sophomore is national player of the week

Middle blocker Lianna Sybeldon honored by American Volleyball Coaches Association

• next: Utah @ #3 Washington | November 1 | 7PM | no TV

NCAA | Washington volleyball remains high in media poll

Huskies in top 4 of all national polls and RPI

see also: Washington volleyball stays near top of weekly RPI and coaches’ rankings

NCAA | Washington volleyball stays near top of weekly RPI and coaches’ rankings

Huskies benefit as teams they’ve defeated keep winning

Pac-12 | Washington volleyball's Lianna Sybeldon named player of the week

Sophomore middle blocker helps lead Huskies to wins over UCLA and USC

Pac-12 | What we learned from Washington volleyball’s victory against USC

Sybeldon, Wade and Vansant rise to the occasion to lead Huskies to first place

• #3 Washington def. #4 USC 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 25-22)
• next: Utah @ #3 Washington | November 1 | 7PM | [no television]

Pac-12 | What we learned from Washington volleyball’s win against UCLA

Variety make a difference as Huskies win in LA for first time since 2009

• #3 Washington def. UCLA 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-13)
• next: #3 Washington @ #4 USC | October 27 | 5PM |Pac-12 Networks

It takes more than one hitter to beat the Huskies.

Friday night in Pauley Pavilion, UCLA’s Karsta Lowe was that one hitter. She took 39 swings and connected for 21 kills, dominating all but the final set in a 3-1 Washington victory (25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-13).

Washington and UCLA players meet at the Pauley Pavilion net
-Pac-12 Networks

But hitters like Lowe are on the front row for only half the rotations. Eventually they get all the opponent’s defensive attention if a team doesn’t spread the offense to other options. And Lowe couldn’t do it on her own.

Washington’s usually-dominant serve and pass game was erratic on this night, as it suffered strings of too-easy serves and uncharacteristic receiving gaffes. During the first three sets, Bruins’ setter Megan Moenoa found Lowe seemingly at will, and the 6-4 junior pounded the ball over, around and off the block. In crucial runs during the second and third sets, Lowe almost single-handedly kept UCLA in the match.

Washington coach Jim McLaughlin talks with Lianna Sybeldon during a fourth set timeout
-Pac-12 Networks

The key, it seemed, was to let Lowe get her swings, while shutting down the rest of the UCLA attack. Washington’s block was huge, getting 15 stuffs, including 8 block assists from Melanie Wade and 7 from Lianna Sybeldon. Bruin hitters Maddy Klineman (.152) and Kelly Reeves (.138) committed 11 hitting errors between them, many on Huskies’ blocks. UCLA middles Zoe Nightingale and Mariana Aquino were rarely a factor.

Once the Huskies solved their serve/pass problems, their more varied offense allowed them to counterpunch with increasing effectiveness. In each of sets two, three and four, Washington’s hitting percentage and side-out effectiveness rose, while the same stats for UCLA dropped. Krista Vansant finished with 16 kills, Kaleigh Nelson with 13 kills and Sybeldon with 12.

Sybeldon, in particular, proved an effective weapon. Both of her setters—Jenni Nogueras and Katy Beals—called her number in key moments, often stopping UCLA rallies with emphatic quicks. As she has all season, the sophomore plays offense with a contagious enthusiasm, taking pressure off the pins when tall opponents try to bunch the block.

Washington's Cassie Strickland (8) blocks UCLA's Karsta Lowe during the fourth set
-Pac-12 Networks

In the end, however, it was Vansant who made the difference. Tied at 23 in the third set, the junior slammed a Jenna Orlandini bump for a kill that seemed to shake the Bruins’ defense. In the fourth set, Vansant made the most out of every opportunity, serving tough, digging slams, powering her attack and even shutting down Lowe, who was held to just three kills—and committed three errors—in the final frame. The final set was a rout, and ended a three-year losing streak in Los Angeles (both at UCLA and USC) for Washington.

The Huskies are now 8-1 in the Pac-12 and tied with USC for the conference lead. Washington and Southern Cal will meet in Galen Center Sunday afternoon at 5PM to break that tie.

NOTES:

• Half of Washington’s roster is from California, so there were big contingents of family and friends wearing purple and gold in Pauley Pavilion.
• In other Pac-12 play, the biggest result was in Boulder, where Colorado remained undefeated at home by beating Arizona 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-23). Just last Sunday, Arizona handed then-number one USC its first conference loss. In Berkeley, Cal dealt a big blow to the Oregon Ducks with a 3-2 victory (15-13 in the fifth set), while USC swept WSU and Stanford swept Oregon State.

Pac-12 | Volleyball power rankings for week nine

Big Sunday showdown as conference reaches halfway marker (sort of)

• next: #3 Washington @ UCLA | 8PM |October 25 | Pac-2 Network

NCAA | Washington volleyball vaults in media poll and RPI

Huskies remain among the elite ahead of showdown with UCLA & USC

Pac12 | Washington volleyball’s Krista Vansant named Player of the Week yet again

Junior outside hitter named Pac-12’s best defensive player after victories over California and Stanford

NCAA | Washington volleyball moves up in weekly coaches’ rankings

After win against Stanford and losses but other ranked teams, Huskies back up to #3

Every season, there’s a weekend when top teams tumble. This was that week.

-photo by Shutter Geeks Photography

• #1 USC lost to Arizona
• #2 Florida lost to #18 Missouri
• #5 Michigan State lost to #10 Minnesota
• #5 Michigan State lost to #15 Wisconsin
• #7 Stanford lost to #6 Washington
• #8 Nebraska lost to #25 Purdue
• #15 Wisconsin lost to #16 Michigan
• #16 Michigan lost to #10 Minnesota
• #17 Ohio State lost to Northwestern
• #17 Ohio State lost to Illinois
• #22 Arizona State lost to UCLA
• #22 Arizona State lost to #1 USC

This week’s big winners were Washington (over California and #7 Stanford) and Minnesota (over #5 Michigan State and #16 Michigan). Missouri is undefeated (23-0) but ranks only 11^th, perhaps because it’s win at home over #2 Florida was its first match this season against a ranked team.

This week’s AVCA poll, with Volleyblog Seattle’s ballot in tomorrow’s Volleyball Magazine media poll:

WEEK NINE

AVCA Coaches		School (First Place votes)	Volleyblog Seattle
This Week	Last Week
1	3	Texas (44)	3
2	4	Penn St (12)	2
3	6	Washington (4)	1
4	1	Southern Cal	4
5	2	Florida	9
6	7	Stanford	6
7	10	Minnesota	5
8	9	Hawai’i	12
9	11	San Diego	16
10	5	Michigan St	13
11	18	Missouri	7
12	12	Colorado St	10
13	8	Nebraska	14
14	13	North Carolina	8
15	14	Kentucky	17
16	15	Wisconsin	15
17	16	Michigan	NR
18	19	Florida St	18
19	20	BYU	11
20	21	Oregon	NR
21	25	Purdue	NR
22	23	Kansas	NR
23	24	Duke	19
24	17	Ohio St	NR
25	NR	Arizona	NR
	22	Arizona St	NR
	NR	Central Arkansas	20

Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more AVCA ballots: Creighton 63; Arizona State 50; Oklahoma 44; UCLA 26; California 20; Cal State Northridge 10; Illinois 9; Western Kentucky 9; Ohio 8; Miami (FL) 7; Northwestern 7; St. Mary's (CA) 6; Iowa State 4

see also: What we learned from Washingtonvolleyball’s win over Stanford

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Photos courtesy Shutter Geeks Photography

Pac-12 | What we learned from Washington volleyball’s win over Stanford

Nation’s top serving team matches up with nation’s top blocking team … and serving wins out

• #6 Washington def. #7 Stanford 3-2 (14-25, 25-21, 25-11, 22-25, 15-12)
• next: #6 Washington @ UCLA | Oct 25 | 8PM | Pac-12 Networks

In the end, a game of inches. A ball barely in or out. A slight, but illegal, contact with the net during an attack or block attempt. A serve that drops barely beyond the reach of a receiver.

Washington's Krista Vansant (16) celebrates a point in a 3-2 win against Stanford
-photo by Shutter Geeks Photography

As two of the nation’s best teams battled to a dramatic finish Sunday afternoon, it was clear that the littlest things would have the biggest impact. And, in front of nearly 5,000 loud fans at Alaska Airlines Arena, it was the home team that made the little things count, as #6 Washington defeated #7 Stanford in five memorable sets.

It didn’t start out that way. Washington is the best serving team in the land, leading the nation (328 Division 1 teams) in aces per set, with many other non-aces keeping opponents off balances and out of system. But the Huskies began set one with a string of relatively easy and uninspired serves. Stanford was happy to oblige, as setter Madi Bugg was able to use a string of near-perfect passes to disguise an increasingly deadly array of attacks. With freedom to choose, Bugg most often sent her two All-American middles—senior Carly Wopat and sophomore Inky Ajanaku—racing to the right pin on slides. By set’s end, the two had combined for 7 slide kills en route to a rout: 25-14.

“We were uncharacteristic,” said Washington coach Jim McLaughlin. “We weren’t hitting our shots. We were kind of acting like we were afraid of them.”

Stanford's Carly Wopat and Inky Ajanaku
listen to instructions on the Stanford bench
-photo by Shutter Geeks Photography

When top teams square off, easy set wins are tough to duplicate. Last season, Washington won twice by the unthinkable scores of 25-10, 25-10, only to have Stanford claw back for a dramatic—if dispiriting—comeback win. So although the first set was 25-14, it only counted 1-0 in the best-of-five scoring, and the Huskies knew it.

With Stanford up 2-1 in the second, Melanie Wade delivered the Huskies’ first ace of the match. With improved serving, the Huskies took away several of Bugg’s options, and UW was able to sideout more efficiently. At the same time, Washington’s passing slowly improved, and setters Jenni Nogueras and Katy Beals were able to deliver well-paced and well-placed balls to Krista Vansant. It lit a fire under Vansant, who never cooled off the rest of the way.

At 9-9, Wopat connected on the first slide of the second set, but it marked the beginning of the end for the talented middle. Wopat came in hitting just a hair under .500—the third-best percentage in Division 1. But as Stanford’s offense had to adjust to better and better serving, Washington all but shut the senior down. After starting the match with 3 kills on 6 attempts in the first set, she tallied just 2 more kills and 3 errors on a mere 9 attempts over the final four sets. She would end the night hitting just .133.

“Our serving was so on point, said Washington middle Lianna Sybeldon. “It made their serve receive a lot harder, which made it just that much harder to get (Wopat) up.”

At 12-12, Ajanaku attempted a tip, but was called for touching the net. It marked the start of two more trends: the talented middle would record just 6 more kills the rest of the way, and it began a string of 7 net violations against the Cardinal, an unusually high number for any team at any level (neither Stanford coach John Dunning nor his players seemed to dispute any of the calls.) Often, the problem seemed to be sets too close to the net—again forced by Washington’s relentless serves. With UW leading 21-18, Vansant completed a run of six straight serves with an ace at the feet of Brittany Howard, and the Huskies were soon able to tie the set scores 1-1.

“I thought the best thing,” said McLaughlin, “was just getting our tails handed to us, then coming back and playing really well.”

“That’s part of our identity,” he continued. “We’re a team that can get better in a match. We didn’t do that last year. I liked the look in the girls’ eyes after set one.”

Stanford leads the nation in blocking, and in the third set, it outblocked Washington 3-0. But if there was ever proof that serving and passing trumps blocking, it was the third set’s 25-11 final score. Stanford’s servers grew tentative, allowing Washington’s setters to use all their weapons. Three players—Vansant, Wade and Cassie Strickland—had 4 kills apiece in the set while four different players served aces, including two from Beals. Vansant’s defense, which has been her biggest improvement this year, was once again on full display. She had four digs in the set—many of them spectacular—on her way to a team-high 20 for the match.

“After our block started getting in better spots,” said Vansant, “I started seeing the ball a lot better. There were a few seams, but it was easy to fill those seams.”

Washington's Cassie Strickland gets one of ther
13 digs against Stanford
-photo by Shutter Geeks Photography

Washington’s other outside hitter, Strickland, also had a big night, with 12 kills on 26 attempts. As the match wore on, she won a series of jousts at the net against much-taller players. But after the match, McLaughlin wanted to talk about another stat: her 7 hitting errors.

“That almost shot the team in the foot,” said McLaughlin. “She’s gotta be responsible and take some ownership for that. That’s more important than winning a joust.”

“I love jousting,” Strickland admitted. “But (McLaughlin) gave me a look on balls that I hit out and in the net—dumb plays I shouldn’t do. I’m growing, but I still have a lot more room to keep growing.”

Still, Strickland’s fourth kill of the fourth set tied the score at 18, as the teams continued to trade points. With Stanford up 19-18, Vansant made another amazing dig, but Bugg fed Ajanaku for a quick that landed in by the barest of inches. And, often in this set, that had been the case: the Cardinal’s disciplined hitters (just 8 non-block hitting errors the entire match) finding a way to get the ball just inbounds, while Washington had just a few find their way barely outside. Often, in the blink of an eye and without benefit of replay, it seemed calls might have gone either way. But, in the end, none of those would have made a difference.

For the Huskies, the fifth set was the reward for all the improvement they had made as the match progressed. The Cardinal slide was no longer a weapon. Vansant kept rally after rally alive with her digs, then came up big when it was her time to hit.

“Our new philosophy,” said Vansant, “is if they don’t hit clean, we made them pay. If they can’t kill it on us, then I’m gonna kill it on them.”

The key play came at a strange moment, with the Huskies leading 4-2. After a long rally feature two more Vansant digs, Bugg abruptly set Ajanaku, even though her middle hadn’t transitioned. Ajanaku made an athletic move, but seemed distracted by Wade’s persistent jousting. Ajanaku tried to push a ball off Wade’s hands—but missed completely, and sent the ball past the endline.

Despite two Stanford timeouts, the Ajanku error continued what would be a 5-0 run, with Vansant serving, giving Washington enough of a cushion to withstand a 7-2 Stanford surge. With UW leading 10-9, it was Nogueras' turn to call a slide, and Sybeldon—who finished with 6 kills and no errors on 19 attempts—put it away. From then on, the teams traded points until Vansant got the final two kills, giving her a season high 23 for the match, with just 4 hitting errors on an exhausting 54 swings (.352).

At the end of the match, Washington erupted in celebration, but their glee didn’t linger. McLaughlin and his players were businesslike, even subdued, in their victory, knowing full well that sweet victories are often short-lived. They still have to play in Los Angeles this weekend, then will enter the second half of the conference season with targets on their chests—as a team to beat. They know that Stanford will get the home court during next month’s Palo Alto rematch. And they know the postseason will be an entirely new season, one where the lessons learned from this win against Stanford may be more important than the win itself.

NOTES:

• The Huskies, who lead Division 1 in aces per set, added 10 more in the match, led by 3 from Jenna Orlandini. Stanford had just one ace.
• Several Stanford hitters had huge nights offensively. Rachael Williams and Jordan Burgess had 13 kills apiece and Brittany Howard had 14, with all three combining for just 8 hitting errors (only 1 for Howard.) Stanford won the blocking stats 11-8, but the teams were even except for Stanford’s 3-0 advantage in the 3^rd set.
• Washington is sometimes led by its right-side attack, but not against the Cards. Kaleigh Nelson had 9 kills and 9 errors on 38 attempts, while Kylin Muñoz recorded just 4 kills and 2 errors on 16 swings.

-photo by Shutter Geeks Photography

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Photos courtesy Shutter Geeks Photography

Pac-12 | Volleyball power rankings for week eight

Is the Pac-12 title chase now a three-way race?

• next: #7 Stanford @ #6 Washington | 4:30PM |October 20

With the fourth week of conference play now underway (Washington defeated Cal Wednesday night,) the Pac-12 race is showing signs of becoming a 3-way race.

Washington's Kaleigh Nelson (6) attacks line in Sunday's 3-0 sweep of Arizona State
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

The six matches between USC, Washington and Stanford are always dynamite, never more so than what could be in store this season. Only one of those matches has already been played; the second is this Sunday in Seattle. The lineup:

Oct 4	@ USC def. Stanford 3-1
Oct 20	Stanford @ Washington
Oct 27	Washington @ USC
Oct 30	USC @ Stanford
Nov 15	USC @ Washington
Nov 20	Washington @ Stanford

Stanford @ Washington is clearly the biggest conference match this week. One big question will be whether the unusual start time—Sunday at 4:30PM—will damper what is traditionally one of the largest Huskies’ home crowds of the season. The other notable match could be USC @ Arizona State.

WEEK EIGHT PAC-12 POWER RANKINGS …

		CONF	ALL
1	USC	6-0	16-1	Trojans looked like the nation’s top team as they swept the Oregon schools; can either Arizona team dent SC’s armor?
2	Washington	6-1	14-1	Huskies now 3-0 at home after smart win against enigmatic Cal; Stanford on Sunday will be biggest test so far
3	Stanford	5-1	12-3	Cards’ only three losses are to the #1, #2 & #3 teams in the nation (USC, Fla, Tex). Can they prevail against #6 UW?
4	Arizona	3-3	11-4	‘Cats put up a good fight in Seattle, then get an Evergreen split in Pullman … but barely. LA schools are next and UCLA is desperate.
5	Utah	3-3	14-4	Utes recover nicely from Stanford shellacking to earn first conference road win of the season at Cal. Can they beat Ducks?
6	California	3-4	10-6	Bears suffer brutal home loss to Utah, then miss a week of class to lose @ UW and sightsee in the NW (WSU match not ‘til Sat PM)
7	Colorado	3-3	11-5	Buffs were 3-1 at home, then lost 2 straight in the Bay Area. Can they get a road win in the Willamette Valley?
8	Oregon	3-3	10-6	Ducks recovered from early Bruins trouble, but were outclassed by SC. No longer among elite without another pin hitter.
9	Arizona St	2-4	13-5	Disastrous week in Washington, especially the loss at WSU. Once a contender, trying now not to be pretenders.
10	Washington St	2-4	14-3	Cougs would love to replay the Ariz 5th set … just a few unforced errors away from what could have been a big home sweep.
11	UCLA	1-5	10-6	Bruins finally get a conference win, but it takes five to beat Beavs. A split in the desert may not be enough to save season.
12	Oregon St	0-6	9-8	Beavers battle, that’s for sure. Someone will lose to this team; might it be either Utah or Colorado?

And for those of you keeping tabs of the all-important road wins/home losses:

	ROAD WINS			HOME LOSSES
Washington	3		Washington	0
USC	3		USC	0
Stanford	2		Stanford	0
Oregon	2		Colorado	0
California	1		Arizona	0
Washington St	1		Arizona St	1
Utah	1		California	2
Arizona	1		Washington St	2
UCLA	1		Oregon	2
Arizona St	0		Utah	2
Colorado	0		UCLA	2
Oregon St	0		Oregon St	4

See also: What we learned from Washington volleyball’s win against California

NOTES:

• Despite hitting just .062, #10 Minnesota sent #5 Michigan State to only its second loss of the season Thursday night, and its first conference loss in the Big Ten. The score in Minneapolis was 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 24-26, 25-22, 15-17) in a match that featured 32 hitting errors by Minnesota, and 40 by Michigan State. The Spartans were particularly hurt by their 15 service errors, many at crucial moments.