College | Nwanebu leaving USC; Matt West honored

Seattle’s West earns First-Team All-American award; Ebony Nwanebu says “I miss my home”

Pepperdine's Matt West and Southern California's Ebony Nwanebu

College | Jonathan Winder is new Washington volleyball assistant coach

Current Pepperdine men's assistant makes transition to women's game

NCAA | Coaches with Washington connections move up the coaching ladder

Former UW standout Stevie Mussie now a Penn State assistant; father of current UW player Bailey Tanner heads up Pepperdine

Seattle VB | Ellis leaves SU; Junior Volleyball gears up

Shannon Ellis leaves a strong legacy at Seattle U

Girls and boys club volleyball tryouts in full swing

Shannon Ellis is a class act.

Shannon Ellis
-photo by Eric Badeau for Seattle University

Since taking over the helm of the Seattle University volleyball program in 2004, Ellis has always been a bright light on the Seattle-area volleyball scene.

NCAA | How the Top 20 fared

How the Top 20 fared, September 24-30, 2012

Another busy week …

• St. Mary’s (8-7) hands #11 BYU (15-1) its first loss of the season … just one day after the Gaels also knocked off #18 Pepperdine.
• Pepperdine had a bad week: the Waves also lost to Santa Clara
• With BYU’s loss, there are only two undefeated Division 1 schools remaining: #2 Oregon and #5 Washington. Those two teams meet in Eugene a week from Saturday.
• #1 Penn State absolutely crushed #10 Minnesota, including 25-8 in the second set.
• Both #3 USC and #4 UCLA lost … both to Washington.
• #13 Purdue keeps on winning … which could be significant down the line for Washington’s RPI (since the Huskies beat the Boilermakers 3-0)

USC's Katie Fuller (22) attacks against the Washington block of Amanda Gil (1) and Krista Vansant
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

NCAA | How the Top 20 fared

How the Top 20 fared, August 24-26, 2012

It was an eventful three days …

Washington's Kelcey Dunaway
-Volleyblog Seattle photo
by Leslie Hamann

• In the first weekend’s marquee matchup, #1 UCLA built a 19-13 lead in the second set against #5 Nebraska, only to let it slip away. Playing at home, the Huskers hung on, barely, until the match was tied 13-all in the fifth set. Nebraska won the next two points and came away with the narrowest of victories.
• The Bruins were last season’s national champions; their Finals opponent, #9 Illinois, also lost … twice, to Dayton and to #11 Pepperdine. Not to be outdone, Pepperdine also lost to unheralded Dayton.
• Nebraska’s Coliseum is probably the second-toughest place for visitors to play; #3 Stanford travelled to the toughest: Honolulu. In something of a surprise, Hawai’i handled Stanford fairly easily, 3-1, in front of 7,426 Wahine Rainbow fans.
• #2 Texas swept away pesky #19 San Diego, and watched #10 Iowa State—its only serious competition in the Big 12—lose to both #14 Florida State and #16 Tennessee. Florida State also easily handled Tennessee.
• Last season, #18 Oregon stunned the volleyball world by beating #4 Penn State. This season, the Ducks overcame Ohio State in five sets.
• #17 California stumbled, losing in five sets to San Diego State.

Summer rain: fact-checking sand volleyball’s appeal

DID RAIN REALLY DRIVE SUMMER ROSS AWAY?

Yes, it does get soggy in Seattle.

Even so, I took a double-take when I picked up the latest issue of Volleyball USA, the public affairs magazine of USA Volleyball. On the cover: Summer Ross. Inside, “Too much rain for Summer.” On page 29, this excerpt:

Summer Ross and Pepperdine capture Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championship

Summer Ross—indoor player for Washington turned sand player for Pepperdine—showed why she elected to take her game (and her college scholarship) to the beach.

Pepperdine, Florida State dominate sand volleyball pairs championship prelims

Four pairs—two each from Pepperdine and Florida State—went undefeated in pool play during the first day of the collegiate sand volleyball championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Inaugural Collegiate NCAA Sand Volleyball National Championship begin this Friday

Summer Ross, the freshman Pepperdine sand volleyball star who played indoors with Washington last fall, will be among the favorites to win the inaugural NCAA/AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championship this weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Ross, of Carlsbad, CA, partners with effervescent junior Caitlin Racich of Santa Barbara.

Summer Ross and sand volleyball partner win big vs. USC

MALIBU, CA—The sky was brilliant blue. The Zuma Beach sand grew warmer as the temperature inched past 75 degrees. It was spring, but Summer was in heaven.

Pepperdine's #1 sand volleyball dual Caitlin Racich and Summer Ross in action against USC
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

“I love this,” Summer Ross beamed. “I can go to school and play nothing but sand volleyball.”

Ross, a freshman, is half of Pepperdine’s #1 sand volleyball dual, after spending the fall playing indoor volleyball for Washington. Ross and irrepressible teammate Caitlin Racich are among the favorites to win the inaugural AVCA/NCAA sand championship later this month.

During a break in a daylong combination dual/pairs competition against USC, Ross talked about her transfer to Pepperdine. “I get to see my brother (Pepperdine men’s volleyball player Chase Ross) every day. It’s really great.”

Summer Ross blocks against USC at Zuma Beach
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

Also great for Ross is the chance to play sand ball year round. “No more indoor for me,” she says, “It’s just sand.”

Ross says she left Washington on good terms, and says she stays in touch with her former Huskies teammates. She’s on a sand scholarship with the Waves, which means she is not eligible for the indoor team in fall.

But on the beach, Ross shows much of what made her special at Washington. Her defense is relentless, keeping rally after rally alive by instantly sticking out her forearms in near-perfect point-saving platforms. She plays with little outward emotion, rarely getting rattled by a lost opportunity. The same redirections, roll shots and dinks that sometimes baffled Washington fans are deadly weapons in the sand.

Against USC’s #1 dual of Sara Shaw and Geena Urango, Ross’s shy demeanor stood out next to her buoyant Pepperdine partner. Racich, a junior, plays with abandon, but sees the court well. Neither athlete makes many unforced errors.

“Sand is so different from indoor,” Racich said. “You have to be great at every volleyball skill, and you need to be ready to defend every inch of the court.”

Among those in the sun-drenched crowd of about 200 was USC indoor coach Mick Haley. Haley says he’s happy USC is the first (and, so far, only) Pac-12 school to compete in sand. “It’s definitely an advantage in recruiting,” he says, adding “for now.” But, he says, “I’d like all the Pac-12 schools to be playing in both fall and spring.

Stanford is building a campus sand arena for 2013. USC is also building it’s own campus complex, complete with bleachers. No other Pac-12 schools have yet committed to next season.

Pepperdine's Summer Ross
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

Ross and Racich breezed past Shaw and Urango during the morning team dual competition, as Pepperdine won 4 matches to 1, to go 10-0 in team play this season. During the afternoon, Ross and Racich stayed unbeaten on the day, winning three matches to capture the pairs tournament, defeating USC’s Natalie  Hagglund and Katie Fuller in straight sets. The Waves and Trojans should be among the top contenders during the AVCA national championships at the end of April. And several players on both teams have their eyes on bigger prizes.

The London Olympics are this summer; the host in 2016 will be Rio de Janeiro.

“Beach ball is huge at the Olympic games,” Haley says, “and there is a demand for televised matches that will stretch next season and beyond.”

“Rio,” says Ross, “is definitely on my mind.”

MATCH NOTES:

• Both teams wear tank tops and shorts, a noticeable (and, some say, welcome) contrast to the skinny bikinis worn by pros and Olympians.
• Racich was a high school teammate of the late Sam Wopat. Wopat, a Stanford sophomore, took her own life last month just before final exams. "It hurts," Racich says. "The Wopat family needs all the love we can give."
• While Washington's indoor team began spring training this week, Haley held team drills in January, to accommodate sand.
• A refreshing difference in the sand game: no line judges. The up ref makes line calls, and asks players to help  with out-of-bounds calls when they can.

Summer Ross begins collegiate sand volleyball career with mixed results

Pepperdine’s Summer Ross—who spent three months playing indoor volleyball for Washington before transferring—suffered an unexpected loss in her first-ever collegiate sand volleyball dual match.

Summer Ross

Ross and her partner, Caitlin Racich, dropped their match yesterday against Long Beach State’s Tara Roenicke and Caitlin Ledoux, 21-19, 17-21, 6-15. Overall, Pepperdine won the dual competition 3-2.

Ross and Racich are the Waves’ Number 1 team. Last week, the pair reached the finals of the USC Invitational, defeating Roenicke and Ledoux along the way, before losing in the championships to Florida State’s Aurora Newgard and Brittany Tiegs, 21-16, 16-21, 10-15. Pepperdine won the three-day tournament, finishing ahead of USC, Florida State and Long Beach State.

At the USC Invitational, Ross and Racich scored impressive victories against several high-profile indoor players, including Florida State’s Jekaterina Stepanova (2nd team All-American) and USC’s Kendall Bateman (1st team All-American). Both USC's and FSU's indoor teams reached the 2011 Final Four. Long Beach’s Ledoux was an Honorable Mention All-American; Roenicke has competed with the US Junior National Indoor Team.

In 2011, Ross was selected USA Beach Player of the Year, after winning two international juniors tournaments, with two different partners. As a Washington freshman, Ross started all 32 matches, recording 167 kills, 115 blocks and a team-leading 27 service aces. She transferred to Pepperdine to be closer to her family’s San Diego home and to play NCAA sand volleyball. Her older brother, Chase Ross, is a starting outside hitter on the Waves’ men’s team.

Ross and her teammates are on their way to South Carolina, where they’ll compete this weekend in the Charleston Sand Classic, featuring Alabama-Birmingham, North Florida, Mercer and host College of Charleston.

---

A handy guide from the Pepperdine Sand Volleyball website:

SAND VOLLEYBALL 101 - Each team competition is called a dual and will consist of five pairs from one school versus five pairs from another school. Each match is worth one point towards the team score. In this best-of-five format, a winner is determined when a team scores at least three points (similar to how collegiate tennis duals are contested).

The separate matches consist of the best-of-three sets, with rally scoring to 21 in the first two sets and to 15 in the third set if necessary. Teams must win by at least two points.

Pairs competitions will also be held this season, with the two-person teams being placed in brackets and playing in single elimination tournaments.

The AVCA National Team Championship will be held in the same format as the team competition at the USC Tournament. The No. 1 pairs from all four schools in attendance will play each other in a double-elimination flight (No. 2 vs. No. 2 etc.), with a sudden death final. The first-place team from each flight is awarded four points, second place earns three points, two points for third place and point for fourth. The team with the most points at the end is crowned the champion.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? - There are a few key elements of sand volleyball that differ from its indoor counterpart. No open hand tipping is allowed, and the block touch counts as the first of three allowable contacts. Coaches may only speak to players or give instruction during timeouts or between sets. Finally, to make a level playing field with regards to impact of the sun and wind, the players switch sides of the court every seven points in a 21 point set, and every five points in a 15 point set. The court is also smaller at 8x8 meters, while the indoor court measures 9x9 meters.

WHAT'S AN EMERGING SPORT? - Collegiate sand volleyball is an "emerging sport." It has 10 years to gain the minimum 40 sponsoring institutions for two years in a row to be considered an NCAA Championship sport.

see also: NCAA sand volleyball off to a strange start

Pac-12 Finalizing 2012 Conference Volleyball Schedule

There's bad news for fans of balanced scheduling.

The Pac-12 is proceeding with plans—announced last fall—to have each of its volleyball teams play two fewer conference matches each season. That means some teams will miss marquee matchups, others will avoid near-certain losses or victories. And the final standings may leave room for debate.

This fall, Washington will play Arizona State in Tempe and host Arizona … but will not reciprocate with a home match against the Sun Devils or a road trip to Tucson. Next season, the Huskies will also miss one match against each of the Arizona schools, with the venues switched. Washington State—as the Huskies’ travel partner—will also skip two Arizona matches each of the next two seasons, but in reverse.

The other “skip partners” for 2012 & 2013:

• Cal/Stanford miss one each against Colorado/Utah
• UCLA/USC miss one each against Oregon/Oregon State

Washington coach Jim McLaughlin is not a big fan of the new schedule. “I came to Washington, in large part, because the Pac-12 is the best conference around,” he says. “I came because I can play Stanford twice, the Bruins twice, the Trojans twice, Cal twice. Playing teams in this conference is as good as it gets.”

At first glance, the teams that could see the biggest benefit the next two seasons are Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks and Beavers avoid four total matches against UCLA and USC. On the other hand, Cal and Stanford miss what would likely be four wins each against Utah and Colorado.

Why the change?

Remember that Pac-12 schools were hugely disrespected by the NCAA tournament selection committee last fall. It seeded USC #7, despite the fact the Trojans were #1 in the polls. The Trojans went on to reach their second consecutive Final Four. Even more glaring, eventual National Champion (and #4 in the polls) UCLA was seeded #9.

The Pac-12’s 20-match schedule gives conference teams an additional weekend to try to schedule top-flight nonconference competition to help boost RPI at the end of the season. The problem, of course, is that other top conferences may have already started league play by then. And—as coaches frequently note—there are only so many RPI-attractive teams to go around. If a team like up-and-coming Pepperdine—a possible high RPI team—has the choice of scheduling either, say, Arizona or USC, it only gets RPI credit if it wins, and it wants to win against a team which might have a high RPI in late November. So, if it schedules Arizona and wins, but Arizona ends up low in the RPI, it’s a bad bet. If it schedules USC and loses, it doesn’t get a big boost. So, while both Arizona and USC might find Pepperdine attractive, the reverse may not be true.

There has been considerable conversation about arranging more Pac-12/Big-10 matchups in several sports, none more attractive than in volleyball, since a current team from one of those two conferences has been national champion 13 years in a row (and 19 times in the past 22 years). It won’t happen in 2012, but there has been talk about matchups in either midseason or just before the tournament starting in 2013. Stay tuned for those conversations.

Here, then, is the 2012 conference schedule on the table for approval next week. Teams still might have flexibility to move both matches against their geographic rival to the last week of the season, as six teams did last year: The schedule assumes mostly Friday/Saturday matches, though travel and/or football conflicts are likely to push several matches to Thursday or Sunday.

Week 1: (Sep 21/22)

• Washington @ Washington State
• Oregon @ Oregon State
• California @ Stanford
• UCLA @ USC
• Arizona @ Arizona State
• Colorado @ Utah
• Washington @ Arizona
• Washington State @ Arizona State
• Oregon @ USC
• Oregon State @ UCLA
• California @ Colorado
• Stanford @ Utah

Week 2: (Sept 28/29)

• California @ Arizona State
• Stanford @ Arizona
• UCLA @ Washington
• USC @ Washington State
• Colorado @ Oregon State
• Utah @ Oregon
• California @ Arizona
• Stanford @ Arizona State
• UCLA @ Washington State
• USC @ Washington
• Colorado @ Oregon
• Utah @ Oregon State

Week 3: (Oct 5/6)

• Washington @ Utah
• Washington State @ Colorado
• Oregon @ Stanford
• Oregon State @ California
• Arizona @ USC
• Arizona State @ UCLA
• Washington @ Colorado
• Washington State @ Utah
• Oregon @ California
• Oregon State @ Stanford
• Arizona @ UCLA
• Arizona State @ USC

Week 4: (Oct 12/13)

• Washington @ Oregon State
• Washington State @ Oregon
• UCLA @ Stanford
• USC @ California
• Arizona @ Utah
• Arizona State @ Colorado
• Washington @ Oregon
• Washington State @ Oregon State
• UCLA @ California
• USC @ Stanford
• Arizona @ Colorado
• Arizona State @ Utah

Week 5: (Oct 19/20)

• Oregon @ Arizona State
• Oregon State @ Arizona
• California @ Washington State
• Stanford @ Washington
• Colorado @ USC
• Utah @ UCLA
• Oregon @ Arizona
• Oregon State @ Arizona State
• California @ Washington
• Stanford @ Washington State
• Colorado @ UCLA
• Utah @ USC

Week 6: (Oct 26/27)

• Washington @ UCLA
• Washington State @ USC
• Oregon @ Colorado
• Oregon State @ Utah
• Arizona @ California
• Arizona State @ Stanford
• Washington @ USC
• Washington State @ UCLA
• Oregon @ Utah
• Oregon State @ Colorado
• Arizona @ Stanford
• Arizona State @ California

Week 7 (Nov 2/3)

• California @ Oregon
• Stanford @ Oregon State
• UCLA @ Arizona
• USC @ Arizona State
• Colorado @ Washington
• Utah @ Washington State
• California @ Oregon State
• Stanford @ Oregon
• UCLA @ Arizona State
• USC @ Arizona
• Utah @ Washington
• Colorado @ Washington State

Week 8 (Nov 9/10)

• Washington @ California
• Washington State @ Stanford
• UCLA @ Colorado
• USC @ Utah
• Arizona @ Oregon
• Arizona State @ Oregon State
• Washington @ Stanford
• Washington State @ California
• UCLA @ Utah
• USC @ Colorado
• Arizona @ Oregon State
• Arizona State @ Oregon

Week 9: (Nov 16/17)

• Oregon @ Washington
• Oregon State @ Washington State
• California @ UCLA
• Stanford @ USC
• Colorado @ Arizona
• Utah @ Arizona State
• Oregon @ Washington State
• Oregon State @ Washington
• California @ USC
• Stanford @ UCLA
• Colorado @ Arizona State
• Utah @ Arizona

Week 10: (Nov 23/24)

• UCLA @ Oregon
• USC @ Oregon State
• Arizona @ Washington State
• Arizona State @ Washington
• Colorado @ Stanford
• Utah @ California
• Washington State @ Washington
• Oregon State @ Oregon
• Stanford @ California
• USC @ UCLA
• Arizona State @ Arizona
• Utah @ Colorado

Seattle Times: Summer Ross is leaving UW (Terry Wood)

Summer Ross (99)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

The Seattle Times' Terry Wood has the exclusive scoop: freshman volleyball star Summer Ross is leaving the University of Washington to transfer to a school (possibly Pepperdine) where she can play sand volleyball.

Summer Ross transfers from Washington volleyball team

Local athletes in NCAA D1 Tournament

Hundreds of Washington state high school girls go on to play volleyball at the next level ... well over a thousand colleges and universities compete in various divisions.

321 schools are members of the NCAA Division 1, and 64 qualified  for this season's D1 Tournament.

Here are the thirteen athletes we've identified who attended high school in Washington and are now members of tournament teams:

NAME	SCHOOL	HIGH SCHOOL	POS.	CLASS
Lauren Barfield	Washington	Newport	MB	SR
Gabby Bird-Vogel	Yale	Seattle Prep	OH	FR
Ashley Broadwell	Pepperdine	Archbishop Murphy	OH	RS SO
Anna Cesari	Washington	King’s	S	RS FR
Kelcey Dunaway	Washington	Bainbridge Island	MB	JR
Deedra Foss	Colorado State	Lakes	S	RS FR
Jane Han	San Diego	Auburn Riverside	L	RS FR
Kylin Muñoz	Washington	Monroe	OH	JR
Alexis Olgard	USC	Mead	MB	SO
Bianca Rowland	Washington	King’s	MB	SR
Stephanie Stoll	Tennessee	Issaquah	MB	RS FR
Tangerine Wiggs	Florida	Holy Names	OH	JR
Alyssa Wistrick	Middle Tenn. St.	R.A. Long	OH	SR

Kylin Munoz, Monroe HS (second from right) and Bianca Rowland, King's HS (right)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

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]

Washington remains #10 in coaches' poll; UCLA is new #1

All of last week’s top 5 lost, so coaches in this week's AVCA poll vaulted #6 UCLA to the top spot. Worth noting that UCLA’s three losses are to unranked Arizona (Washington swept the Wildcats this season), to #14 Pepperdine and to Washington. The Huskies and Bruins square off in LA this weekend.

Seven different teams received first-place votes this week, which could be a record.

Easy to spot the coaches who don’t really treat the poll seriously: Someone voted Illinois #1 after it lost again, this time at home to 13-8 Minnesota. Someone else voted for Penn State, despite its five losses this season. And there are two first-place votes for Hawai’i, which mostly plays teams that would have a hard time cracking the top 50.

Florida did not drop far enough, after losing twice this weekend. At a minimum, they should be below Kentucky, which beat Florida just yesterday and has a better overall record.

Rank	School (First-Place Votes)	Total Points	2011 Record	Last Week
1	UCLA (41)	1457	20-3	6
2	Nebraska (9)	1386	18-2	1
3	Stanford (1)	1323	17-4	5
4	Southern California (5)	1306	18-4	4
5	Illinois (1)	1245	21-2	3
6	Penn State (1)	1218	17-5	8
7	California	1179	21-4	2
8	Hawai'i (2)	1112	24-1	7
9	Texas	1027	15-4	9
10	Washington	941	18-4	10
11	Purdue	893	20-3	11
12	Northern Iowa	843	24-1	12
13	Iowa State	735	17-4	14
14	Pepperdine	655	17-5	18
15	Minnesota	630	13-8	15
16	Tennessee	578	20-3	20
17	Florida	542	17-5	13
18	Florida State	460	19-4	19
19	Kentucky	390	21-4	24
20	Oregon	372	14-7	16
21	San Diego	327	23-3	17
22	Ohio State	170	16-9	23
23	Michigan	146	16-8	22
24	Colorado State	133	17-4	25
25	Oklahoma	105	19-6	21