College | Courtney Schwan leads Washington over Oregon

Schwan's serving, attacking hand Ducks their first Pac-12 loss of 2016 

• #8 Washington def. #20 Oregon 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-23) 

Washington outside hitter Courtney Schwan
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

EUGENE—Oregon was up 23-21 in the third set, on a 6-2 run. Washington's Crissy Jones, who'd had a sub-par night, rose to stuff Oregon's Lindsey Vander Weide to close the lead to one. 

And Courtney Schwan stepped to the line. 

Schwan, a junior outside hitter, was riding one of the best nights of her career, slamming 14 kills and 3 errors on 42 swings. But all season, her serving had struggled. It was something she had worked hard all week to correct.  

"Find a seam," she said, repeating a mantra. "Pick a girl you're going to go after and hit no spin after no spin. Good serve after good serve." 

UW's Kara Bajema (15) puts up a block during a 3-0 win at Oregon
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

And so she served. The rally that followed was epic, with extraordinary defense on both sides. UW setter Bailey Tanner reached back to punch an apparently hopeless ball back into play. Freshman libero Shayne McPherson made an eye-popping athletic dig. Finally, junior outside hitter Tia Scambray connected on her 9th kill of the match, sending Schwan back to the line with the score tied at 23. And once again, she repeated her mantra. 

"Contact the ball a lot higher," she told herself, "and hit it on the heel of my hand." 

She served an ace. 

Oregon's Lindsey Vander Weide (8) is aced by UW's Courtney Schwan
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

On a team with no superstars, Schwan is too often overlooked. She attacks with discipline and precision, and against the Ducks, she was keenly aware of attacking the angles. 

"Oregon is a great defensive team with big blockers on the outside," said Washington coach Keegan Cook.  "I thought Courtney attacked the cross-court with a lot of power and a lot of confidence. Man, she took some tough swings in some tough situations." 

"I saw that the block was moving outside on me," said Schwan, "so I kept hitting sharp (across court.)" 

More than that, Schwan was connecting with the ball at its highest point, often hitting above the block and slamming the ball not far from the ten-foot line. "It's footwork and keeping the ball in front of me," she said, even though some of her most impressive kills came when she had not fully completed her transition. And more than in previous seasons, Tanner is willing to set her in the back row. 

"I do like hitting back row," Schwan said, with a smile. 

Another Schwan skill—passing—was a big reason UW won each of the first two sets rather easily. Much was due to the emergence of McPherson, who has improved enough that teams are forced to serve all three Huskies' passers: McPherson, Schwan and Scambray. "They tried to target Shayne early on," said Cook, "and she held up. The whole night. We want to have three good receivers, where opponents don't get to key in on any one person. And tonight we had that. That's a story in and of itself." 

By the third set, Oregon had improved its own passing enough to keep it close. But UW never stopped serving Vander Weide, acing her four times, including Schwan's floater to make it 24-23. The final point went to Jones, only her fifth kill of the night. Despite hitting just .083, Jones had a great night at the service line and made several stellar digs to keep long rallies alive. In fact, winning long rallies may have made the difference in the final set. 

"When one part of their game isn't working," said Cook, "great players find a way to contribute."  

For Oregon coach Jim Moore, another frustrating night against Washington
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

NOTES

• The Huskies got a scare when freshman middle blocker Kara Bajema went down with an apparent ankle injury just before the post-second set break. After receiving treatment in the locker, she ran back out onto the court with her teammates at the start of the third. "They taped it up," said Schwan, "and Kara said, 'Let's go!' She's definitely a fighter." "We had about 15 seconds left (before the start of the third set) to write a number on the lineup," said Cook. "She said, 'Give me a shot.' She's got some grit." Bajema finished with 12 kills and just 3 errors on 20 swings (.450). 

• In a season of anemic Pac-12 volleyball attendance, Oregon's Matt Court had a decent—and often loud—crowd of 3,136. There were, however, very few UW fans in the arena, despite the fact that the Huskies play Oregon in football the next day. Were UW football fans planning to drive down to Eugene Saturday morning? Or did the UW Athletic Department do a poor job letting its pigskin loyalists know that they could have supported Huskies volleyball while they were in Eugene? 

College | Huskies keep amazing nonconference streak alive with win in Hawai’i

UW has now won 77 nonconference matches in a row; Jones and Bajema honored as UW climbs in the polls

• #6 Washington def. #14 Hawai’i 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 28-26, 23-25, 15-13)
• Sept 15 | 5PM | #5 Washington vs. Maryland @ USC
• Sept 16 | 5PM | #5 Washington vs. Oklahoma @ USC

Washington's Tia Scambray jousts at the net during the Huskies' 3-2 win over Hawai'i in Honolulu
-photo by Hawai'i Athletic Department

There are plenty of reasons Washington has a hard time scheduling quality nonconference opponents. Last night offered another.

Despite playing on their home court in front of 6,856 fans, the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine could not put away their Northwest nemesis, as Washington eked out the narrowest of victories, 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 28-26, 23-25, 15-13). Watching the match on Hawai’i’s live stream, here’s what we saw:

• The turning point came at the end of the third set, with the teams tied in sets at 1-1, and Hawai’i at the service line with a 24-20 lead. The Huskies won the point on a Crissy Jones kill, launching an 8-2 run that ended in a 28-26 UW set victory. The biggest star of the streak was outside hitter Tia Scambray, who landed three great serves—including deadly missiles down the line—to bring tie the score at 24. In all, Washington fought off 6 set points to win the third.

• Jones was an enigma. The junior outside hitter recorded 22 kills with 4 errors on 60 swings (.300), earning tournament MVP and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. She plays all six rotations, and may be one of the Huskies’ best back row attackers in several seasons. And yet, an eye-opening number of Jones’ front row attempts were tips. On the one hand, Hawai’i was not great at covering short attacks (see Nikki Taylor, below). On the other hand, Jones seemed to pass up far too many attempts to pound the ball, something an elite opposite simply has to do, even when sets aren't perfect.

• Scambray and fellow junior Courtney Schwan will likely continue to be the most under-publicized outside hitter tandem in the nation. They are both outstanding passers, a growing Washington outside hitter tradition. Scambray attacks with abandon, even after making a hitting error. Schwan seems to be overcoming last season’s tendency to tip when under pressure, and smartly uses the block. Against Hawai’i, Schwan had 19 kills and just 2 errors (.415) and Scambray added 16 kills with 8 errors (.186).

• For the first time in many seasons, Washington is running a 5-1 (1 setter) offense, and junior setter Bailey Tanner has been outstanding. Against Hawai’i, she ran a quick tempo offense that, frankly, asked a little more of her pin hitters than they were able to deliver. That could turn out great, however, as Scambray, Schwan and Jones have a chance to get into better position in transition, knowing that smart, quick sets are on the way, often creating attacks against single blocks. Tanner, like Wisconsin All-American Lauren Carlini, is comfortable across the front line, setting strong blocks and attacking when needed.

• Kudos to two freshmen: middle Kara Bajema and libero Shayne McPherson. Hawai’i servers drilled McPherson in the second set, eventually forcing coach Keegan Cook to employ a two-person serve receive (Scambray and Schwan) in certain rotations. But McPherson hung tough, and had just one awful pass the rest of the way. Bajema—the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week—was terrific throughout, aggressively slamming over-passes, confidently pressing her hands over the net when blocking and playing scramble defense like a back row player. Washington will benefit as Bajema gets more comfortable on quicks, especially as Cook burns multiple substitutions for his MB2 platoon, Destiny Julye (attacking) and Avie Niece (blocking.)

• Hawai’i outside hitter Nikki Taylor had a career-high 29 kills, but her 70 attempts took a toll. By the fifth set, she appeared to be bothered by pain in both her elbow and knee. During the Huskies’ final push, Taylor was unable to pick up tips or chase shanked balls, and was often hidden on serve receive. In a razor-thin match, Washington’s comparatively balanced attack proved the difference.

The win in Honolulu extends some pretty amazing Washington streaks.

• UW has now won 77 nonconference regular season matches in a row.
• The Huskies’ last nonconference loss was 8 years ago, on September 13, 2008, in Honolulu, when Hawai’i prevailed 3-2 (20-25, 27-29, 26-24, 25-14, 16-14).
• Washington also lost to Hawai’i in Honolulu on September 7, 2002, by a 3-1 score (26-30, 30-22, 30-27, 30-28), a match where the Wahine’s Kim Willoughby recorded 38 kills.
• Between 2002 and 2008, UW had just one other nonconference loss, to Texas on August 26, 2006 in Madison, WI, by a score of 3-2 (30-24, 23-30, 30-27, 28-30, 15-13).
• Overall, the Huskies are a jaw-dropping 148-3 in nonconference regular-season matches since the first weekend of 2001.

And so … if you were an opposing coach of a top-tier team, how eager might you be to schedule a match in the far reaches of the Northwest against a team that almost never loses? Even in a year with no true seniors, playing on the road in front of a huge audience, the Washington Huskies find a way to win nonconference matches.

HUSKIES RISE IN THE POLLS

Washington is now #5 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and #4 in the FloVolleyball Poll. In both polls, Nebraska, Texas and Minnesota are #1, #2 & #3. Kansas is #4 in AVCA and #7 in FloVolleyball.

With UCLA’s loss to San Diego and Wisconsin’s loss to North Carolina, Washington (8-0) is one of only five remaining undefeated teams in the AVCA Top 25. #1 Nebraska is 6-0, #4 Kansas is 9-0, #9 BYU is 9-0 and #17 Santa Clara is 9-0.

COUGARS OFF TO FAST START

Washington State is 8-1 in nonconference play. It’s only loss was to Purdue, a 7-1 team that beat Stanford this weekend. The Cougars beat UC Irvine, a team that swept USC 3-0.

The Cougars are hitting .307, seventh best among all Division 1 schools (Washington is #24 at .281). WSU is holding opponents to .116, #5 in the nation (UW is #52 at .162). Washington State ranks #7 in blocks per set, with 3.23 (the Huskies are #45 with 2.55.)

L.A. GROUNDHOG DAY

Washington starts Pac-12 play in 9 days, when it hosts WSU. But before and immediately after, UW makes two trips to USC’s Galen Center.

This Thursday and Friday, the Huskies play Maryland and Oklahoma, the third year of a four-year deal where the Terrapins and Sooners meet the Huskies and Trojans on rotating home courts.

USC’s Mick Haley is not a fan of the series—Wisconsin backed out after the first year of the series when the Badgers lost to both Southern Cal and Washington in Seattle. Haley hints that SC and UW are working on a new deal with higher-ranked opponents starting in 2018.

The strangeness of this week’s contests are that both Haley and Keegan Cook will be able to scout each other’s team just days before UW again travels to Galen to meet USC on September 23. Although Washington and Southern Cal tied for the 2015 Pac-12 title (both were 18-2), the conference’s ridiculous unbalanced schedule means that this will be the only UW/USC meeting of the season. Likewise, Washington will only see UCLA once, at home the night before Thanksgiving.

Sorry, Pac-12, that’s just wrong.

College | Washington volleyball’s prospects as the NCAA Tournament looms

UW’s balance and passing will be key

• #2 Washington def. Oregon State 3-0 (25-19, 25-10, 25-21)
• Fri, Nov 20 | 4:00PM | #2 Washington @ Oregon

College | Washington volleyball’s Courtney Schwan continues to impress

Huskies remain undefeated, but still searching for “go-to two”

• #5 Washington def. Colorado 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-22)
• Fri | 8:00PM | #5 Washington @ #11 UCLA
• Sun | 1:00PM | #5 Washington @ #2 USC

Washington's Crissy Jones goes up for a block during a 3-0 victory over Colorado
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

It takes at least two.

In modern college volleyball, teams that manage to reach the third round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA tournament almost always have at least two go-to pin hitters, on the outside and/or opposite.

For the past couple of seasons, Washington’s go-to-two were now-graduated All-Americans Krista Vansant and Kaleigh Nelson. One of the biggest questions for 2015 was whether anyone could fill their substantial shoes.

After two vastly different matches during the first week of conference play—a 3-2 barnburning win over Washington State in Pullman, and a powerful 3-0 sweep at home against Colorado—the Huskies can answer half their hitting question.

Sophomore Courtney Schwan has firmly established herself as a smart and intimidating outside hitter. Attacking with controlled fury, she rarely gets blocked and uses the entire court, making her one of the nation’s top-two outside hitters in the nation when measured by hitting percentage (Pittsburgh’s Amanda Orchard is the other.) In the Pac-12, USC’s Samantha Bricio is the league’s runaway top player so far, but Schwan is in the conversation for second-best outside hitter in the conference.

Washington's Cassie Strickland (L) and Courtney Schwan recover after a long rally against Colorado
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

But who is the Huskies’ number two?

Sophomore outside hitter Tia Scambray is a solid player, but not yet a break-out threat. She’s a good server, a consistent passer and a strong attacker, but at barely six feet tall, she is short for the Pac-12, and commits plenty of hitting errors, many of them blocks. Against Colorado, Scambray had just 5 kills and 4 errors on 17 swings (.059), and is hitting just .245 for the season, mostly against lesser opposition.

That said, Scambray was the OH2 last season, when UW went 31-3. Washington’s second-best pin hitter last year, Kaleigh Nelson, played opposite. And many top teams find their second go-to on the right side.

Sophomore Crissy Jones has all the tools to be the next Nelson, but her play has been inconsistent. Against Colorado, Jones had 5 kills and 0 errors on 10 swings (.500), a marked improvement from her 8-6-24 (.083) line Thursday night in Pullman.

Sophomore Carly DeHoog was Jones’ mirror opposite over the weekend, with a great game against WSU (8-0-19-.421) and a so-so match against the Buffaloes (6-3-15-.200). Washington coach Keegan Cook gave sophomore setter Bailey Tanner a few right-side rotations on the front row, something he says he might continue to do if Jones and DeHoog need extra incentive to up their production.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that Schwan, Scambray, Jones, DeHoog and Tanner share one important characteristic—they’re all sophomores. As each of them continues to grow, Washington’s four starting seniors—setter Katy Beals, libero Cassie Strickland, middle Melanie Wade and middle Lianna Sybeldon—are each at the top of their games.

Beals appears to have fully recovered from the knee injury that forced her to miss last season’s tournament. Strickland, quite simply, remains the Pac-12’s best libero, and may be tops in the nation. Against Colorado, Strickland had so many spectacular digs in one stretch that the crowd of 2,938 stood and chanted her name. Her powerful jump serve—good for 3 aces and 2 serving errors last night—is rivaled only by USC’s Bricio for its ability to rattle passers.

No D1 volleyball team in the land has a pair of middles like Wade and Sybeldon. Both are among the nation’s elite in hitting percentage and in blocks per set. Each is in peak physical condition—Sybeldon improved her strength and absolutely crushes the quick set while Wade is noticeably faster and more confident.

Great middle blockers, however, are only as good as their passers. Unless outside hitters can consistently deliver great passes to setters, middles won’t be an option. As the Pac-12 schedule ramps up considerably this week with matches against UCLA and unbeaten USC, keep an eye on the passing, especially when Bricio is serving.

And if it takes two to reach the Sweet 16, what does it take to win it all? Usually three go-to pin hitters. That’s been Penn State’s not-so-secret key the past decade, and that’s what teams like Washington ultimately hope to achieve.

NOTES:

Members of Washington's 2005 National Champion Team cheer on
the current team against Colorado. Top: Courtney Thompson, Tama Miyashiro
Bottom: Jessica Veris, Carolyn Farny
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

• In Palo Alto last night, USC and Stanford were tied at 12 in the fifth set. The Trojans had blown a 6-1 early final set advantage, but knew they had Bricio on their side. Several long rallies later, Bricio hammered home the final three USC points for a crucial 3-2 win (26-24, 19-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-13). Bricio finished with 27 kills and 5 aces. It was the only meeting between the two teams this season, yet it drew just 3,492 fans to Maples Pavilion. By comparison, Washington packed 8,646 into Alaska Airlines Arena last season when #5 Washington beat previously-undefeated #1 Stanford 3-1.
• Cassie Strickland wore strips of tape on her injured hamstring last night, but appeared to play with her regular abandon. The injury—sustained the previous week in Oklahoma—almost caused her to be scratched from Thursday’s lineup against Washington State.
• At halftime of the Colorado match, the crowd acknowledged five members of the 2005 National Championship team: Carolyn Farny, Darla (Myhre) Van Winkle, Jessica Veris, Tama Miyashiro and Courtney Thompson. Among those who couldn’t attend because they are currently assistant coaches at other universities are Sanja Tomasevic (Miami), Stevie Mussie (Penn State) and Danka Danicic (UT-San Antonio). Add Brie (Haggerty) Brenner, head coach at Defiance (OH) College. [Thanks to alert reader David Maag].
• Former Washington All-American Krista Vansant is on US National Team roster this week as the team attempts to qualify for an eventual 2016 Olympic berth. Yesterday, Vansant had two kills in limited action as USA rolled over Costa Rica 3-0. USA faces Canada later today and Cuba tomorrow afternoon. The top four teams at this   tournament in Mexico meet in January to try to grab the North American slot for the Rio Summer Olympic Games.
• Five Pac-12 teams are among the top 11 in this week's AVCA Coaches' poll: #2 USC, #5 Washington, #6 Arizona State, #8 Stanford, and #11 UCLA. Arizona is #14 and Oregon fell to #22.

College | Where will Washington volleyball land in the NCAA Tournament?

Our best guesses and a Huskies injury update

• #5 Washington def. Washington State 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 26-24)
• NCAA Selection Show | Sun, Nov 30 | 5:30PM | ESPNU

College | Tia Scambray is passing fancy in Washington volleyball win

Arizona targets freshman outside hitter to no avail

#5 Washington def. #13 Arizona 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-19)

• #22 Arizona State @ #5 Washington | Sun, Nov 23 | 11AM
• #1 Stanford @ #5 Washington | Wed, Nov 26 | 5PM

College | A good loss? Volleyball coaches beg to differ

Top volleyball minds see no special lessons in losing

#22 Colorado def. #2 Washington 3-2 (27-25, 26-24, 17-25, 23-25, 15-11)

• #2 Washington @ Utah | Sat, Nov 15 | 6PM

College | Washington volleyball’s “modest” setters strive not to be “chicken”

Katy Beals and Bailey Tanner have big impact while garnering little attention

#2 Washington def. #11 Oregon 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-20)

#2 Washington def. Oregon State 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-15)

• #2 Washington @ #22 Colorado | Thu, Nov 13 | 5PM
• #2 Washington @ Utah | Sat, Nov 15 | 6PM

College | Washington vs. USC was a volleyball mismatch

Trojans aren’t yet able to piece together their puzzle

#4 Washington def. #19 Southern Cal 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-19)

• Texas-Pan Am @ Seattle U | Thu, Oct 2 | 6PM
• #20 UCLA @ #4 Washington | Fri, Oct 3 | 7:00PM | [no TV]
• New Mexico St @ Seattle U | Sat, Oct 4 | 1PM

College | Washington volleyball’s amazing streaks continue

Five sets? No problem, as Huskies refuse to fold

#5 Washington def. #4 Wisconsin 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 15-12)

• Washington State @ #5 Washington | Wed, Sept. 24 | 7:30PM
• #5 Washington @ California | Fri, Sept. 26 | 8:00PM

NCAA | Washington volleyball escapes media poll scramble

Check out which teams remain in rankings despite recent lack of success

• next #3 Washington @ #5 Stanford | November 20 | 7:30 PM | Pac 12 Networks