Huskies take on
their first ranked opponent of the season
Two weeks ago, Boise
State was the season-opening opponent for both Washington volleyball and football. This weekend, Illinois is the Big Ten host for the same two teams.
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| Washington's Jenna Orlandini (4) coach Jim McLaughlin and Jenni Nogueras (9) -photo by Shutter Geeks Photography |
On paper, #6 Washington faces its toughest preseason test in
Champaign-Urbana. The Illini reached the NCAA
Finals two seasons ago, losing to UCLA
in the championships. Last season, despite a high RPI, Illinois finished barely
above .500 and missed the tournament.
This season, Illinois has easily the toughest preseason
schedule in the nation. It recorded wins against Florida State, Kentucky
and Iowa State, ranked #18, #17 and
#11 at the time. The Illini lost to unranked Long Beach State and to this season’s Cinderella team, #9 San Diego. This weekend, Illinois hosts
#6 Washington, #2 Texas and a team
that should be ranked, undefeated Arizona
State. It concludes its preseason with a match next week at current #18 North Carolina. How’s that for
nonconference competition?
The Illini are led by 6-2 sophomore hitter Jocelynn Birks, with an eye-popping
4.58 kills per set (87 kills, 19 sets). Liz
McMahon, the other hitter, is a 6-6 junior averaging 3.11 kills per set.
The big blocker is 6-4 freshman Maddie
Mayers; she’s averaging a big-time 1.79 blocks per set.
This trip offers a unique opportunity for the Huskies—they’ll
be able to watch their undefeated Pac-12 compatriot Arizona State take on
Illinois earlier in the day. Weirdly, however, Washington won’t face #2 Texas.
The Longhorns are in town only to take on Illinois and ASU.
“We tried to schedule Texas,” Washington coach Jim McLaughlin tells Volleyblog Seattle. “Texas didn’t want
to play us. We were gonna try and play them at Key Arena and then play them in Illinois. It just didn’t work out.”
NOTES:
Washington’s volleyball team will be in the stands at Chicago’s
historic Soldier Field for Saturday’s
UW/Illinois football game. They’ll stay in Chicago for a Sunday afternoon match
against Loyola of Chicago.
Photos courtesy Shutter Geeks Photography
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