Pac-12 |What we learned from Washington’s loss to Arizona State

Arizona State 3, #5 Washington 1 (25-29, 16-25, 25-23, 25-20)

• next: #5 Washington @ Washington State | November 23 | 8PM | Pac-12 Networks
• Tournament Selection announcement | November 25 | 1PM | ESPNU

Olympics | Karch Kiraly: The Next Chapter

Volleyblog Seattle authors Volleyball Magazine feature about USA head coach Karch Kiraly

Your Volleyblog Seattle correspondents were honored to write a feature article about Karch Kiraly for the January 2013 issue of Volleyball Magazine.

Pac-12 | UCLA’s new Pauley Pavilion works well for volleyball

A smart remodel of a classic arena

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

#2 Washington 3, Colorado 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-22)

next up:

• #2 Washington @ Oregon State | October 12 | 7:00PM [no television]
• #2 Washington @ #5 Oregon | October 13 | 7:00PM [no television]

Pac-12 | Washington fans get first look at Pac-12 Network volleyball coverage

Huskies attract top-line broadcast teams for Rocky Mountain Matches

• Tonight | 7:30PM (Pacific) | #2 Washington @ Utah | Pac-12 Network (Paul Sunderland and Amy Gant)
• Sunday | 2:00PM (Pacific) | #2 Washington @ Colorado | Pac-12 Network (Chris Marlow and Al Scates)

No sentimental sendoff for volleyball legend Al Scates

[this report includes a video link, below]

WESTWOOD, CA—A true legend gets ready for the final home matches of his 50-year career. The weekend’s checklist seems pretty obvious:

• Dozens of alumni fly in from everywhere? Check 

• The university prepares tear-jerking tributes? Check 

• Fans pack the arena? Check 

• A weekend full of sappy sentimentality? Not quite.

UCLA men's head coach Al Scates
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

UCLA men’s volleyball coach Al Scates, whose tenure and success may never be surpassed, managed to avoid a saccharine exit when his team tangled both Friday and Saturday with visiting BYU.

How sour was it? Here was BYU head coach Chris McGown, speaking to the BYU school newspaper after the Cougars split the weekend series with the Bruins:

“The way Scates went about arguing his point was completely contrary to not only league rules but also sportsmanship and ethics.”

Harsh words to direct at a fellow coach who has won 21 national championships.

UCLA triple block vs. BYU
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

McGown—son of another volleyball coaching legend, Carl McGown—was talking about the conclusion of Friday’s match. Which actually concluded Saturday. Which was a BYU win. Then a tie. Then a BYU loss. Then a tie. Then a BYU win.

Got it?

“I’ve never seen a sporting event with such a bizarre ending in my life,” said Karch Kiraly, in the stands to root on his old Bruins’ coach.

In Friday’s fifth set, with BYU serving at 16-15, redshirt freshman Josue Rivera served a ball to the back line. The line judge called it long; the up ref overruled. Ace serve, end of match, BYU joyous.

But Scates was not done. He challenged the call, and not gently. After twenty long minutes, BYU was stunned (to say the least) to be called back out of the locker room. The score was set at 16-16, and play continued. A few minutes later, the Bruins prevailed 20-18.

According to McGown, both he and his players were so upset with the outcome, no one could sleep after Friday’s match.

Saturday evening, many dozens of disappointed fans were turned away from the Wooden Center as the weekend’s second match was sold out. Inside, both the Cougars and Bruins were still seething.

During the day, BYU officials had filed a complaint. Three hours before Saturday’s match, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation decreed that the score of Friday’s fifth set would once again be reset to 16-16, to be concluded before the start of Saturday’s match. The conference called in veteran referee Rick Olmstead to officiate the match; Olmstead had spent the day in Malibu officiating five hours of women’s sand volleyball between USC and Pepperdine.

UCLA had first serve for the continuation of Friday’s match. BYU—on the strength of a kill and a block— quickly won 18-16. McGown chest-bumped his assistant coach, as two BYU players performed backflips in front of the partisan crowd. [see Volleyblog Seattle video]

The scheduled Saturday match began 15 minutes later; UCLA won in a rout. McGown blamed his team’s sleepless night; UCLA players credited the desire to send their coach out with a win.

Most BYU players did not stick around for the post-match ceremonies honoring Scates and his wife. If they had, they would have witnessed five decades of Olympians, All-Americans and national champions join their coach all posing for what should long be an iconic photo of men’s volleyball history.

50 years of UCLA men's volleyball alumni pose after coach Al Scates' final home regular-season match
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

The biggest crowds and the best jobs in American collegiate volleyball are in the women’s game. But watching the passion and power of the men’s game was a reminder of what a big deal this could become throughout the Northwest, Arizona and the Rockies. Among Pac-12 schools, only USC, UCLA and Stanford sponsor men’s volleyball teams. Fans in the rest of the conference should be making the kind of noise heard in Westwood this weekend to insist the men’s game is played everywhere.

Do you agree? Let us know.

College Volleyball legend retiring after this season

When I was a UCLA student (1972-76), both men's and women's volleyball were as successful as John Wooden's basketball teams.

Al Scates was, indeed, Westwood's other Wizard. The couple of times our paths crossed, he was always a lot of fun and a class act.

He's now retiring after 50 years of coaching and 19 NCAA titles. Wizard indeed.

See the front page story in the LA Times. Nicest anecdote: how this would-be football coach realized how volleyball could be an excellent conditioning tool. (Thanks to Terry Wood for the heads-up):

Volleyball's Wizard of Westwood will be calling it quits

Al Scates