NCAA | Pac-12 teams slip in weekly media poll

Huskies rank high but Big Ten teams look overrated

NCAA | Conference play begins

#1 Penn State loses at home; #2 Washington at Oregon tonight at 8PM

NCAA | How the Top 20 fared

How the Top 20 fared, September 17-23, 2012

Crazy numbers this week:

• Number two beat number one and number four beat number three.
• Number two would have become number one, except it lost to number seven.
• Numbers ten, twelve, eighteen and twenty also lost

Washington's Jenna Orladinia
-Volleyblog Seattle photo
by Leslie Hamann

And you thought YOU worked hard:

• Seattle University has played six five-set matches this season, including the last five in a row. The Redhawks are 3-3 in five-set matches in 2012.
• #17 San Diego lost a set to San Francisco 33-35. The next night they won a set against Santa Clara 32-30.
• #10 Louisville won its first two sets against Notre Dame 25-16, 25-16 … then went on to lose the fifth set 3-15. It was only Louisville’s second loss of the season.
• #8 Hawai’i played its first road matches of the season—and its first matches in the Big West Conference. The Wahine Rainbow went 3-0 this week, but were pushed to five sets by both Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton.
• Five teams fell from the ranks of the unbeaten this week, including #2 USC (0-3 to #7 Oregon), #12 Kansas State (0-3 to Oklahoma), Michigan State (2-3 to #16 Purdue); South Carolina (1-3 to Auburn then 1-3 to #20 Tennessee) and Northwestern (1-3  to Wisconsin, then 1-3 to #11 Minnesota).
• Only three undefeated teams remain (of 327 Division 1 schools): #5 Washington (11-0), #7 Oregon (11-0) and #14 BYU (14-0)

Can Huskies top #1 UCLA?

Two weeks ago, Illinois was the number one ranked team in the nation. Since then, the Illini have lost three of four, all of them badly.

Last week, it was Nebraska’s turn at the top. The Cornhuskers promptly lost—first, a match to Penn State, then, hours later, their starting setter was arrested (and is out for this weekend’s home matches against #23 Michigan and Michigan State.)

This week, UCLA is ranked #1. Tonight they host #10 Washington. Will the Bruins hang on, or will the top rank jinx continue?

UCLA has just three losses this season:

• a 2-3 preseason setback to #14 Pepperdine (the Waves won the fifth set 15-13);
• a 2-3 conference road loss to Arizona (the Wildcats won set five 15-12);
• an 0-3 sweep in Seattle at the hands of Washington (24-26, 12-25, 20-25)

In Washington’s September 17 victory:

• The Huskies hit .340; the Bruins .243
• Bianca Rowland had 12 kills and just one error on 17 attempts (.647), her best outing of the season.
• Kylin Muñoz wasn’t far behind: 13 kills, 1 error on 28 swings (.429)
• UW had 8 services aces (3 by Krista Vansant) and just one service error. The Bruins had no aces and 6 service errors.

Washington won convincingly despite recording only 7.5 team blocks … one of its lowest block totals of the season. UCLA’s big star, Rachael Kidder, had one of her usual big nights, getting 16 kills and 3 errors on 30 attacks (.433). Kelly Reeves also came up big: 9-2-16 (.438)

Tonight, the Bruins should see a few new twists. Washington has gone to a 6/2 (six hitter/two setter) offense, introducing sophomore outside hitter Gabbi Parker as both an offensive and blocking threat (she will also be Washington’s only jump server.) The 6/2 had a lot of problems when it was introduced three weeks ago in the Bay Area, and there were still rough spots in a 5-set UW win against Arizona State. But it seemed to click in a sweep of Arizona, and tonight’s match will be a real test.

The match will be played in the John Wooden Center, a fairly modern intermural facility across Bruin Walk from Pauley Pavilion. Pauley is undergoing a major renovation all this season.

The match will be carried live tonight, at no cost, on UCLA's All Access web channel.

You can also follow along with Paul Isaac's live chat on gohuskies.com

Washington's Bianca Rowland (15) had a huge night when UCLA came to Seattle earlier this season
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Huskies high in national stat rankings

The University of Washington doesn’t have a single starting server this season employing a booming jump serve (think Jill Collymore in 2009 or Kindra Carlson in 2010). Every time one of the Huskies steps to the service line, opponents can expect a jump float, usually a flat knuckleball to the deep corners. Washington’s three outside hitters—Summer Ross, Kylin Muñoz and Krista Vansant—lead the team in aces.

It must be working. Washington has the highest aces per set average of any Division 1 team in the nation. UW has dialed up 65 aces in 31 sets, a 2.1 ace/set average. No other Pac-12 team ranks in the top fifty nationally.

The Huskies can also hit and block. The team is hitting .308, good for fourth nationally (trailing only Michigan State, Hawai’i and Cal.) Washington also averages 2.95 blocks per set, the ninth-best number in the country.

The NCAA doesn’t report rankings for opponents’ hitting percentage, but the Pac-12 website lists Washington second only to Cal. The Huskies hold opponents to a meager .123.

Washington's Kelly Holford serves during a scrimmage
[Volleyblog Seattle video screen shot by Leslie Hamann]