NCAA | What are the must-see preseason matches?

Here are the national 2012 nonconference matches worth watching

Starting Friday, and for the following 22 days, the calendar is full of must-see matches across the nation.

How about UCLA @ Nebraska this Saturday? Washington vs. Purdue next Friday? Stanford @. Penn State followed by Texas @ Penn State?

Two others we'll have our eye on: San Diego @ USC on September 7, and Pepperdine @ UCLA September 12 ...

Pac-12 | Washington volleyball takes nonconference matches seriously

Washington has lost just two nonconference matches in the past nine years. This season, nonconference matches matter more than ever.

On August 31, 2001, Jim McLaughlin’s inaugural Washington volleyball team took the court for the very first time … and lost, 3 sets to none. The winner was BYU, a team that would finish the season ranked #22 with a 20-9 record.

The very next day, also at Hec Ed Pavilion, the Huskies defeated Purdue in the afternoon, but lost its second match of the season that night, falling to perennial power Texas 1-3.

NCAA | Washington Volleyball ranked 13th in first media poll

Volleyball Magazine ranks Washington #13; six Huskies' opponents among top 18

UW middle blocker Kelcey Dunaway
-Volleyblog Seattle photo
by Leslie Hamann

In the first media poll of the 2012 season, Washington is ranked the 13^th best team in the nation. The weekly poll is conducted by the Volleyball Magazine.

Practices for all NCAA Division 1 teams began two weeks ago; the first matches won’t be played until this Friday.

Six traditional powers dominate the top of the poll, including three Pac-12 schools, among them defending national champion UCLA (#1), Stanford (3) and USC (6). Texas is ranked 2nd, Penn State 3rd and Nebraska 4th.

Hawai’i—moving this season to the Big West Conference—is ranked 7^th. Purdue—whom Washington plays in Baton Rouge on August 31—is eighth. 2011 NCAA runner-up Illinois is ranked 9^th; Iowa State is 10^th.

Volleyblog Seattle is one of ten national voters in the weekly Volleyball Magazine poll.