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Post-college volleyball careers now part of elite players’ job options

Pac-12 | Washington’s assistant coach search wrapping up

Also: More new hires; Sand expands

Washington volleyball confirms final recruit for 2012

Palo Alto’s Melanie Wade, ranked among the nation’s top high school seniors, is officially the fourth and final member of the Washington Huskies’ 2012 freshman volleyball class.

Melanie Wade

Sources confirmed that the University of Washington received Wade’s acceptance letter this week. The university’s athletic website reports that she’ll join the team this fall.

Wade, listed at 6-feet, 5-inches, has played both middle and right side. There should be strong competition at both positions this fall, with the graduation of senior middle blockers Bianca Rowland and Lauren Barfield, and the departure (for the Pepperdine sand volleyball team) of freshman right side hitter Summer Ross.

Wade grew up in the shadow of Washington rival Stanford; her Palo Alto High School team won back-to-back California D-1 state championships the past two seasons.

Wade was included on several prep All-American lists, and has competed in the USA Volleyball junior system.

Washington’s strong 2012 freshman class also includes setter Katy Beals (Austin, TX), libero Cassie Strickland (Huntington Beach, CA) and hitter/middle Lianna Sybeldon (Folsom, CA).

All-American selections snub Pac-12 & Vansant

SAN ANTONIO—As we reported yesterday, Washington’s Bianca Rowland was named a second team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Rowland’s AVCA citation reads:

Bianca Rowland, a 6’0 middle blocker for the University of Washington, is a senior from Lynwood, Wash. Rowland averaged a career-best 1.50 blocks per set on the season, second in the Pac-12, and her .345 attack percentage ranked fifth in the conference. She wound up third in career blocks at UW with 492, and second in career attack percentage at.387. After making AVCA All-American honorable mention the past two seasons, this is her first time appearing on an All-American team.

Bianca Rowland
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

It bears mentioning that few, if any, D1 middle blockers were more efficient in the second half of the season. When the Huskies switched to a two-setter offense before the Bay Area road trip, Rowland’s offense soared, repeatedly hitting above .400, and often much higher.

Overall, the Pac-12 got just middling respect from the AVCA voters. Three USC players—outside hitter Alex Jupiter, setter Kendall Bateman and libero Natalie Hagglund—joined UCLA’s Rachel Kidder on the 14-member First Team. Jupiter was the Pac-12 player of the year, and should be among the leading 3 candidates for national player of the year.

Rowland was joined by just one other Pac-12 player on the Second Team, Cal’s talented outside hitter Tarah Murrey. USC’s Lauren Williams and Oregon’s Alaina Bergsma were named to the Third Team, for a total of 8 Pac-12 players of the 42 First, Second and Third Team All-Americans.

Pac-12 players earning honorable mention include WSU’s Meagan Ganzer, Oregon’s Lauren Plum, Stanford’s Rachel Williams and Carly Wopat.

From where we sit, the Pac-12 was given short shrift this year. I would have put Murrey on the First Team, Lauren Williams on the Second Team, and Ganzer (whose WSU coach, Jennifer Greeny is on the All-American selection committee) and Wopat on the Third Team. California—last year’s Final Four runner-up—has a lot to complain about: Correy Johnson should have made Honorable Mention, and I’d put libero Robin Rostratter on the Third Team.

Nebraska’s three honorable mentions were a bit much, particularly Lauren Cook, given her off-court troubles this season. I also question putting Texas’ Bailey Webster on the First Team and teammate Haley Eckerman on the second. Eckerman was named national Freshman of the Year.

Krista Vansant (16) and Bianca Rowland (15)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

The real head-scratcher, however, is how Pac-12 Freshman of the Year—and Pacific Region Freshman of the Year—Krista Vansant was completely left off the list. C’mon, committee, really? There are four other freshmen (Texas’ Eckerman, North Carolina’s Chaniel Nelson, Marquette’s Chelsea Heier, Tenessee’s Mary Pollmiller) more deserving than the best freshman in the west?  

Bianca Rowland named 2nd team All-American

SAN ANTONIO-- Volleyblog Seattle has learned that Washington senior Bianca Rowland has been named a Second Team All American by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association. Last season, Rowland was an honorable mention All-American.

We hope to talk with Bianca here in San Antonio this week.

Rowland & Vansant win All-Region Honors

Two University of Washington players—senior middle blocker Bianca Rowland and freshman outside hitter Krista Vansant—were among the All-Region athletes honored today by the American Volleyball Coaches Association(AVCA). This is Rowland’s third year on the All-Region Team.

AVCA divides the nation’s conferences into eight Regions; the Pac-12 is part of the Pacific Region. Only those athletes named to an All-Region team are eligible for the final All-American team, to be honored next week at the Final Four in San Antonio.

2011 AVCA Division 1 All-Pacific Region

Kendall Bateman**	University of Southern California	S	Sr.
Alaina Bergsma	University of Oregon	OH	Jr.
Chloe Ferrari	University of San Diego	MB	So.
Meagan Ganzer	Washington State University	OH	Sr.
Natalie Hagglund	University of Southern California	L	So.
Jennifer Hamson	Brigham Young University	OPP	So.
Kim Hill	Pepperdine University	OPP	Sr.
Alex Jupiter**	University of Southern California	OH	Sr.
Rachael Kidder	UCLA	OH	Jr.
Tarah Murrey**	University of California	OH	Sr.
Bianca Rowland***	University of Washington	MB	Sr.
Lauren Williams**	University of Southern California	MB	Sr.
Rachel Williams	Stanford University	OH	So.
Carly Wopat	Stanford University	MB	So.

***three-time selection
**two-time selection

Region Freshman of the Year: Krista Vansant, Washington, OH

Honorable Mention: Amanda Arterburn (Northern Colo., L, Sr.), Katie Fuller (USC, Opp., Jr.), Shannon Hawari (California, MB, Jr.), Cursty Jackson (Arizona, MB, Sr.), Lauren Plum (Oregon, S, So.), Kellie Woolever (Pepperdine, S, So.)

Region Coach of the Year: Mick Haley, USC

see: Complete List of All-Region selections

Washington's Bianca Rowland (15)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Washington's Krista Vansant (16)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Washington lets 2-0 lead slip, ends season with 2-3 loss to Minnesota

The Washington Huskies could not hold a 2-0 lead, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers came back to win 3-2 (25-18, 25-20, 17-25, 21-25, 11-15).

Minnesota moves on to the Sweet 16, where it will face Iowa State. Washington ends its season 24-8.

At the start of the third set, the Golden Gophers switched setters, replacing surprise starter freshman Kellie McNeil with veteran Mia Tabberson. It seemed to make all the difference, as Minnesota's previously one-dimensional offense opened up, and star hitter Ashley Wittman began connecting.

Both Krista Vansant and Bianca Rowland had stellar matches for the Huskies. Unofficially, Vansant had 22 kills on 55 swings (.327) and Rowland--in the final match of her career--had 13 kills (.323) and 8 blocks.

The real keys to the match, however were:

1. Minnesota's Katherine Harms had the match of her career, getting 29 kills (.356). The left hander did most of her damage from the right side, a vulnerable spot for Huskies' defenders all season. But she had several back row kills and a few from the left.
2. Washington's two-setter offense seemed lopsided. When Jenni Nogueras was setting (albeit with Rowland in the middle), the Huskies ran their offense well. Nogueras had an exceptional night serving and playing defense. But senior Evan Sanders had one of her worst nights of the season, often slow to get to the ball and making several poor setting decisions. We'll have to see the full stats, but it seemed the Huskies usually struggled most when Sanders was setting.
3. Washington's attack needed a third clutch hitter. At the end of both the fourth and fifth sets, when the Huskies were still close, Kylin Munoz (7 kills, 2 errors on 33 swings (.152) was unable to put the ball away. It often looked as if she had not retreated to her full approach position, and--as a result--she often failed to elevate and therefore hit easily diggable balls.
4. And speaking of digging, Minnesota's defenders came alive in the fourth and fifth sets. Even when Washington seemed to do everything right, the Golden Gophers kept Huskies' attacks from hitting the floor. Washington's Jenna Orlandini had 25 digs, but three Minnesota players had 21 or more digs.

Beside Rowland and Sanders, this was also the final career match for Lauren Barfield. The senior middle blocker had 5 kills and 6 blocks.

Vansant leads Washington to NCAA first round victory

The Washington Huskies, behind freshman outside hitter Krista Vansant's 25 kills and .440 hitting percentage, defeated Western Michigan this afternoon 3-1 (25-13, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16) in Minneapolis.

Western Michigan, from the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), played inspired defense in the second and third sets, allowing its freshman setter Terin Norris to deliver a stream of sets to the right side. Although the Huskies outblocked the Broncos, they had few answers for right side attacks.

In the fourth set, Washington setter Jenni Nogueras fed senior middle blocker Bianca Rowland, who responded during one 8-serve stretch with 5 kills and a block. Rowland finished with 12 kills in the match. Gabbi Parker and Kylin Munoz added 10 kills each. Washington outhit Western Michigan .362-.250.

WASHINGTON/WESTERN MICHIGAN BOX SCORE

Washington now awaits the winner of tonight's Minnesota/North Dakota State match. The Huskies' second round match will be Saturday night at 6:30pm (Pacific).

Summer Ross (99) Krista Vansant and Bianca Rowland (15) celebrate
earlier this season in a match at Alaska Airlines Arena
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

_______________________

Arizona became the third Pac-12 team to be eliminated in the first round, losing 1-3 to Michigan State (25-18, 17-25, 20-25, 21-25.) California and Oregon both lost Thursday night. USC, UCLA and Stanford all have first round matches later tonight.

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]

All Pac-12: Rowland, Vansant, Ross

Bianca Rowland & Krista Vansant
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Washington's Krista Vansant was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and senior Bianca Rowland was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference first team today.

Vansant was also named All-Conference Honorable Mention. Outside hitter Summer Ross was honorable mention for the Freshman team.

USC swept all the other major awards: Mick Haley, coach of the year, Alex Jupiter, player of the year, Kendall Bateman, setter of the year, and Natalie Hagglund, libero of the year.

From where we sit, two players on the All-Conference honorable mention team belonged instead on the First Team: Correy Johnson and Robin Rostratter, both of Cal.

Summer Ross should have been on the All-Freshman team. Hitters are too often evaluated only for their hitting, but Ross is an exceptional server, passer and blocker, and she played nearly every single second of the season.

Lauren Barfield--one of the nation's top blockers and a vastly improved hitter--deserved Honorable Mention consideration.

The Pac-12 press release and full list of honorees: Pac-12 Postseason Honors Announced

Selection Sunday: Washington players and coaches react

On selection Sunday exactly one year ago, the Washington Huskies learned they were not one of the NCAA’s 16 seeded teams in the 64-team tournament. But under rules no longer in effect this season, they played host to what was universally considered the toughest of the four brackets, forced to face formidable teams like Hawai’i, Nebraska and California, among others. The Huskies responded, upsetting both the Rainbow Warriors and the Cornhuskers, before losing to eventual national runner-up Cal one match short of the Final Four.

This afternoon, the Huskies learned once again they were not among the chosen 16 seeds. But they did not seem unhappy to be heading to Minneapolis, where they will face unranked Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos finished second in the MAC West Conference (13-4) and were upset in the first round of the MAC tournament by Central Michigan. Western Michigan has a 26-8 overall record.

Washington players react to the announcement of their NCAA seeding
[Volleyblog Seattle video screen grab]

The winner of Friday’s Washington/Western Michigan match takes on the winner of Minnesota/North Dakota State on Minnesota’s home court. The winner of that second round match advances to the Sweet 16, also in Minnesota.

“I think we have a pretty good bracket,” said Washington’s Bianca Rowland. “It’s not an easy bracket, but it’s definitely a good route to go.”

“I went to Minnesota for the Sweet 16 my sophomore year,” said senior setter Evan Sanders, who played for Colorado State in 2009. “I liked the gym, I liked the atmosphere, it’s a good place to play.”

“It’s a good city,” agreed senior Lauren Barfield. “It’s not too far ahead in time zones. So I don’t think that’ll be a huge adjustment.”

Sanders pointed out that the winner of this weekend’s bracket will be able to stay in Minneapolis, and might therefore have a leg up against the other three teams travelling to Minnesota for the Sweet 16. “It could be an advantage,” she said.

The Huskies watched ESPNU’s Selection Sunday show in the bowels of Hec Ed Pavilion. Washington’s sub-bracket was the fourth of eight to be revealed. Several Huskies—Gabbi Parker, Kelly Holford and Krista Vansant—let out an excited WHOOP when they saw their assignment. Moments later, head coach Jim McLaughlin slipped out of the room.

“I left once I knew where we were gonna be,” said McLaughlin. “I got (Western Michigan’s) stats and schedule. We’ll start the plan, start gathering the information.”

McLaughlin was not watching ESPNU when USC coach Mick Haley made it clear that top coaches are generally unhappy with the NCAA Selection Committee’s recent seeding of Pac-12 schools. Haley’s comments could be interpreted as support for related statements McLaughlin made earlier this week.

“Mick’s been around a long time,” said McLaughlin after hearing a transcript of Haley’s ESPNU comments. “I’ve always respected his opinion.”

“I came into the Pac-10 conference to play all these great teams,” he continued. “I just want to know what we need to do objectively to get the best seed we can get. I want to know. I know the committee has a tough job, their job is not easy. I just want to know what the criteria are and then I’ll follow it, to a ‘T.’”

But McLaughlin made it clear he doesn’t want to talk about the selection process for at least the next three weeks. “Once you’re into the tournament,” he said, “your thoughts have to serve you well. I can turn it (seeding issues) off pretty quick when I have to start our preparation.”

“Everybody in the tournament is good. I’m excited, because it’s the tournament and it’s the best part of the year. So we’ll prepare, and we’ll be ready to go.”

Ask Washington: Never say die is more than a cliche

It was the third set in Pullman. Washington State—a huge underdog—won the first two sets, and had two match points.

• Trailing 22-24, with WSU’s Meagan Ganzer serving, Washington’s Bianca Rowland and Kylin Muñoz combined to block WSU’s Jaicee Harris
• Trailing 23-24, with Jenna Orlandini serving, Washington’s Krista Vansant got a kill, one of 25 on the night. WSU called a time out.
• Tied 24-24, Vansant got another kill, once again on a Jenni Nogueras set.
• Leading 25-24, Washington scored its fourth consecutive point—and won the set—on Ganzer’s hitting error.

Washington's Bianca Rowland
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Volleyball is one of the few sports where a team can come back literally from the brink to win. When a basketball team is down by 10 with one second remaining, it’s over. Ditto for football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, etc.

But in volleyball—as in tennis (and, to a certain extent, baseball and softball)—it’s truly never over until it’s over.

Washington hung on to win set four, then utterly steamrolled the Cougars to win set five.

Over her past ten matches, Rowland a senior middle blocker, is hitting a torrid.457 (97 kills/13 errors/184 attempts). Her coach, Jim McLaughlin, says she ought to get plenty of votes as a first-team All-American. Considering she’s also one of the nation’s leading blockers, that’s not such an unreasonable observation.

Rowland’s teammates put up some pretty impressive offensive numbers in two matches this week against their rivals:

How did Washington beat WSU?

The match was a rout.

Washington State had a reasonable excuse, however, for its 0-3 (25-14, 25-21, 25-14) pasting at the hands of rival Washington. The Cougars were playing their third road match in five nights … a wintry slog through Denver, Salt Lake City and Seattle.

Washington's Bianca Rowland (15) and Kylin Munoz (24) block against WSU's Chelsey Bettinson (12)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

That kind of NBA-style roadtrip might not happen next season. More on that in a moment.

The first thing the Cougars had to notice on arrival was the large and loud crowd in Hec Edmundson Pavilion: an audience in excess of 3,000 on a cold, dark November Tuesday night. The turnout was unexpected, considering Seattleites were sloshing through a rain-soaked commute, trying to negotiate ever-distant parking lots as Husky Stadium renovation pushes arriving fans further and further from Alaska Airlines Arena. 

[note to Washington AD Scott Woodward: $7 is too steep a price to charge for volleyball parking on dark, stormy nights.]

[further note: The Thanksgiving week crowd was another reminder that volleyball continues a near-decade long pattern as the third-biggest UW sports attraction, behind only football and mens’ basketball. 3,000+ fans are way more than the women’s basketball team attracts, even in good weather.]

Washington's Kylin Munoz (24)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

With an energetic crowd offering support and the Cougars looking tired, Huskies hitters had a field day.

• Washington hit .506 (45 kills, 5 errors on 79 attempts) … its highest conference average since hitting .533 against Arizona State in 2005—the year Washington won the National Championship.
• Junior outside hitter Kylin Muñoz hit a decent .333 (6 kills, 1 error, 15 attempts). UW’s other five attackers all hit better than .400, led by freshman outside hitter Krista Vansant (14/1/19, .684), senior middle blocker Lauren Barfield (6/0/9, .667), and senior middle blocker Bianca Rowland (7/1/10, .600). Over the past nine matches, Rowland is hitting an incredible .458 (88/12/166).

This match was originally scheduled for the first week of the conference season, back in September. Both teams agreed to move it to this final week of the conference season, to avoid playing three matches that first week. [see: Pac-12’s wacky rivalry week is upon us)

Volleyblog Seattle has learned that the Pac-12 plans to eliminate two conference volleyball matches next season, in part to avoid weeks when three matches are scheduled in six or fewer nights. We’re awaiting an official response from Pac-12 officials to answer questions about how the league will determine which two matches will drop from each team’s schedule, and whether volleyball will adopt North/South divisions, a la football.

The lessons from this match are more urgent than for most … these two rivals will square off again on Friday in Pullman. So, as the Cougars return home and try to figure this one out, let’s also consider: How did Washington beat WSU?

THE HUSKIES DOMINATED SERVE/SERVE RECEIVE

Washington setter Jenni Nogueras (9)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

By now, all regular Volleyblog Seattle readers know Washington Coach Jim McLaughlin’s mantra: the team that wins the serve/serve receive battle almost always wins the match. Great serves force an opponent into either an error or a free ball; great serve receives allow a team to run all options in its offense.

Washington’s serve last night was consistently strong. Junior Jenna Orlandini had 4 of the Huskies’ 11 service aces. Junior setter Jenni Nogueras created a couple of serving runs with a beautiful float serve that drove Cougar passers all the way to the back line.

“She puts up a still ball that doesn’t rotate,” said Washington freshman Summer Ross about Nogueras, “and it just floats all over the place. It’s so hard to pass.”

When WSU served, it rarely rattled the Huskies, who guided most passes right to the setters.

“Krista and Jo (Orlandini) were passing really great,” said Ross. “Everyone’s really locking their elbows, like Jim taught us to. And getting our angle out. It’s pretty sweet.”

WSU's Meagan Ganzer
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Meagan Ganzer, the Cougars’ talented outside hitter, agreed.

“I think the passing and serving is the base of our problem sometimes,” Ganzer said. “I know we have a good offense, we’ve just got to be able to run it.”

This was Ganzer’s last collegiate appearance at Hec Ed. The senior from Tahoma High School is one of the nation’s premiere hitters, currently sixth in Division 1 in kills per set.

“I love playing in this area (Seattle), I do,” she said. “In club volleyball, I played in the Emerald City Classic every year with my club team—I played on this floor as a 16s, 17s and 18s player. WSU/UW is a big rivalry for any Coug. I’m really excited to play them again on Friday.”

THE HUSKIES’ ATTACK CAME FROM EVERYWHERE

In the first set, WSU served with UW leading 16-10. After a good pass, Rowland sped around behind Nogueras, looking for all the world like she was going to hit a slide. The Cougar blockers planted, Rowland cocked her arm … but never pulled the trigger. The set kept rising until Vansant soared—seemingly from nowhere—to clobber the ball down the line.

When passing is near-perfect, it’s up to setters to keep the defense off balance by disguising which hitter they will set. Teams practice combinations all the time, but only the most confident teams actually employ them in matches.

Too often this season, setters Nogueras and Evan Sanders have pushed the ball out to Vansant and Muñoz—or tried to connect with middles Barfield and Rowland—when hitters Ross or Gabbi Parker were available on the right side, or when Vansant or Ross might attack from the back row.

Against WSU, the distribution was far and wide.

“I like it when I don’t know where the setters are going to go,” said McLaughlin. “We’ve got a little more confidence where we can play a little faster. So we’re playing a little faster to the pins.”

Jenni Nogueras (9), Krista Vansant, Bianca Rowland and Gabbi Parker
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

“Our setters were amazing,” said Ross. “Both Jenni and Evan were delivering perfect.”

“Jim told me earlier today that I really needed to work to make myself available in the back row,” said Vansant. “I was telling the setters, I’m here if you need me, set me the pipe.”

“I really want to continue to work on it. It can be a good thing for our offense to spread the block out a little bit.”

“She’s learning how to fight,” said McLaughlin about Vansant. “She’s learning how to learn and to make changes. She’s gonna take off.”

NOTES:

• This was the first time former UW assistant coach Pat Stangle has coached against his friend and mentor Jim McLaughlin. Stangle was a McLaughlin assistant at UW from 2000-2003. He was later head coach at Wyoming.
• Ganzer had a nice contingent in the stands for her final Hec Ed appearance. It included cousin Mike Mills, the head coach of Woodinville High School’s volleyball program.
• Pac-12 volleyball matches have four officials: an up ref, a down ref and two linespersons. The up and down refs usually fly in from another state, but since last night featured two Washington teams, all four officials were local. The up ref was Ami Filimaua, the down ref was Allan Chinn. The line judges were  John Bryant and Robyn Filimaua. Robyn is Ami's wife and has been selected to be a line judge at several NCAA Final Fours.

Rowland on a roll ...

Washington's Bianca Rowland (15)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

How was your last four weeks? Hope it was as good as Bianca Rowland's.

During her last 8 matches over the past four weeks, the Washington senior middle blocker has been a jaw-droppingly efficient hitting machine. Over that stretch, she has 81 kills and just 11 errors on 156 attempts ... a stunning .449 average (kills minus errors divided by attempts).

The Pac-12's leading hitter across the entire season is USC's Lauren Williams, hitting at a .416 clip ... 33 points below Rowland's eight-match tear.

The offensive surge corresponds to the return of setter Jenni Nogueras (after the death of her father). In the two-setter offense, Nogueras and Rowland are paired, and the combination has been increasingly deadly.

On the season, Rowland is now hitting .340 (208 kills, 45 errors on 480 attempts. She's also second in the Pac-12 with 1.53 blocks per set.

Twice this season, Rowland has been named the defensive player of the week. She's due for an offensive player of the week honor, don't you think?

Washington's Bianca Rowland is hitting .449 (81 kills, 11 errors on 156 attempts) over the past 8 matches

How did California beat Washington?

It was late in the final set. Washington and California were tied, with each team exchanging side-outs. Sometimes points were earned by strong attacks; others were given up on errors.

Suddenly, almost quietly, Cal strung together two in a row, and the match ended.

While that was the script last night in Seattle, it was also the exact same scenario last month in Berkeley. And last season in Seattle. And two seasons ago in Seattle.

The Golden Bears have now defeated the Huskies six times in a row, spanning 2-1/2 seasons. And almost every time, there’s just a whisker of difference, always in Cal’s favor.

“We seem to match up really well,” said Cal Coach Rich Feller after his team escaped with another 3-1 victory (25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23). “Right now, our team obviously has some confidence in playing the Huskies.”

“I thought Cal played well,” counted Washington Coach Jim McLaughlin, as he lamented his team’s inability to close out tight sets against the Bears. “It’s a maturity thing. It gets real tough in the later stages of the set. It takes a lot of fortitude, you gotta have composure. It’s hard. We’re learning how to deliver at the end of sets. But we’re not good enough yet.”

Washington's Kelly Holford (3), Summer Ross (99) and Gabbi Parker (11) celebrate a kill by Bianca Rowland (15)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

It was Senior Night at Hec Ed Pavilion, and both coaches lauded the career—and recent resurgence—of Washington senior Bianca Rowland. Saturday night, Rowland had 12 kills and 2 errors on 23 attacks (.435) Over the past six matches (Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA, USC, Stanford & Cal), Rowland has a combined 60 kills and just 5 errors on 122 attacks (.451). Considering the competition (the past four opponents are all ranked in the top five nationally), it would be fair to say no one in Division 1 is playing better right now than Rowland.

“She’s good all the time now,” said McLaughlin. “She’s just that good. We gotta go to her a little more, to be honest with you.”

“What a great player,” said Feller. “I won’t miss her as a competitor. I will miss seeing her display her skills. She’s fabulous.”

But the Golden Bears have plenty of good players on their side, which helps answer the question: How did California beat Washington?

WASHINGTON COULD NOT STOP CALIFORNIA’S SLIDE ATTACK

California's Elly Barrett (10) sets a slide to Kat Brown (11)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

A slide play is when a hitter—most often, but not always, the middle—runs toward the pin (antenna) and takes a fairly flat set to hit a sharply-angled attack, often off the block.

“They’re in love with the slide. They run it to death,” said McLaughlin. “They got away from us on the slide, for sure.”

Cal’s Shannon Hawari had 12 kills (.556), mostly off the slide. Correy Johnson, Cal’s right side hitter, added 11 kills (.409), most from way outside the pins.

“Correy’s pretty magical sometimes,” Feller said. ”She’s just so rangey, and she’s got all the shots. She’s got a pretty fast arm that I think people underestimate.”

Although other teams have had success against the Huskies with a slide, McLaughlin is confident his system is designed to handle it.

“You gotta do it by committee; you gotta have people in the right spot blocking,” he said, “and then you gotta have people in the right spots defensively. Middles have to take big steps. And we were drifting, and we can’t drift.”

WASHINGTON COMMITTED TOO MANY HITTING ERRORS

On the night, Washington hit an anemic .135, thanks largely to committing 29 attack errors.

“We were just not getting a good beat,” said McLaughlin. “We were early on our transition hits. We’re not on a first step going to the ball, and we’re running underneath the ball and we’re launching it.”

Running under the ball was a particular problem at crucial times for both Krista Vansant and Kylin Muñoz. Vansant had 10 hitting errors to go with her 13 kills (.061); Muñoz added another 6 errors with her 11 kills (.126) During big rallies at the ends of sets one and four, Muñoz and Cal’s Tarah Murrey were their respective teams’ go-to hitters; Murrey—an All-American senior—far outplayed Muñoz, who sent the match’s final attack sailing out of bounds when she aimed too high for the Cal blockers’ hands.

“Tarah Murrey was good when she had to be,” said McLaughlin.

Besides Rowland, the other bright spot for the Huskies’ attack was Summer Ross. Last month in Berkeley, Ross had 14 kills on just one error; Saturday she added six kills on just one error. McLaughlin was impressed.

“I challenged her a little bit after last night (a win against Stanford) and said, ‘Look, you can pass, you can block, you can serve. But you can hit, too.’ And she’s got a good arm. She did a better job tonight. She’s just gotta go after it a little more.”

THE TWO-SETTER OFFENSE WORKS … EXCEPT WHEN IT DOESN’T

After a rough start, McLaughlin’s mid-season installation of a 6/2 (two-setter) offense seems to be working, especially lighting offensive fires under Rowland and sophomore outside hitter Gabbi Parker.

Kelly Holford digs as Krista Vansant (16)
looks on
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

But teams are allowed only 12 substitutions per set, and a 6/2 burns through substitutions quickly. That, in the end, may have cost the Huskies the fourth set. Unhappy with the play of Parker, libero Jenna Orlandini, middle blocker Lauren Barfield (“they were not meeting their standards”), McLaughlin used extra substitutions to bring in Kaleigh Nelson, Kelly Holford and Kelcey Dunaway. Toward the end of the set, Washington had no more substitutions, McLaughlin was forced to use just two hitters in the front row.

“We ran out of subs in the fourth set,” said McLaughlin. “I think if we don’t run out of subs, we win that set.”

That said, #11 Washington has finally completed a killer four-match march against the nation’s elite: #1 UCLA, #4 USC, #3 Stanford and #5 Cal. They were rarely out of any set, and rallied dramatically for a victory over Stanford. With the team’s final four conference matches against teams toward the bottom of the standings—Utah, Colorado and Washington State (twice)—McLaughlin hopes the lessons learned from playing great teams will allow his team to make another deep run in the tournament.

“I liked our fight. We have some fight in us. Our backs are against the ball and we respond.”

How did Washington beat Stanford?

It was late in the fourth set. Washington trailed Stanford by three points; Stanford led the match 2 sets to 1, and seemed poised to deliver perhaps the most disappointing defeat of the Huskies’ season.

After all, Washington had cruised to an efficient win in the first set, only to watch a late lead evaporate in the second. Perhaps shaken by their sloppy collapse, the Huskies were erratic in the third set and much of the fourth. Trailing 14-17, they watched Stanford setter Karissa Cook send a slide to freshman Morgan Boukather. Boukather, who came in with only 66 kills all season, ran to the pin and crushed the ball for the kill. Again. By the time the night was over, she’d record ten kills and no errors on 22 swings. Boukather—and Stanford—now seemed unstoppable.

Washington Coach Jim McLaughlin called what could have been his final time out of the match.

“We were siding out at, like, 53%,” said McLaughlin after the match, “but we ended that set at 73% We just got good.”

Good, indeed. Washington went on a three-point run, with kills by Krista Vansant and Bianca Rowland, and a Rowland stuff block. As the Huskies inched ahead, 21-20, Vansant sandwiched two more kills around another Boukather slide. With the Huskies serving tough and pressing the pace, Stanford committed three hitting errors, allowing Washington to send what looked like a sure loss into a fifth set showdown.

Washington's Krista Vansant (16) celebrates a point against Stanford
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

“We had faith that we knew we could come back and win this match,” said Vansant. “That’s what we said in every huddle: You can win this, you just have to believe.”

“It was good to see,” said McLaughlin. “First time I’ve seen us do it.”

But after four sets, Stanford had the better numbers: more kills, fewer errors, more blocks. Cardinal Coach John Dunning, perhaps feeling a little confident, started the final set with his best hitter, Rachel Williams, in the back row.

The strategy backfired. McLaughlin, you see, decided to start his best hitter, Vansant, in the front row. The first three points of the set ended with Vansant kills.

“She challenged the block,” McLaughlin said. “She was just full-tilt—I mean, she was giving it everything she had. We started her left front in that set just to make sure we ended the match with her up there. And it paid off.”

Stanford played amazing defense, and Boukather continued to connect. The Huskies’ largest home crowd of the season grew louder.

Washington's Jenna Orlandini (4) digs against Stanford
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

“It was a fun game,” said libero Jenna Orlandini. “They were making plays, we were making plays.”

In the end, Vansant was unstoppable. Williams had just one kill in the final frame; four of the Huskies’ five final points were Vansant kills; seven total for the set. She finished with 18 in all, on 59 swings (.203).

“Animal. Absolute animal,” said outside hitter Gabbi Parker of Vansant’s fifth set performance. “Amazing. I’m so proud of her. I’m so glad I have her on my team.”

This was a hugely entertaining match between two elite teams. How, then, did Washington beat Stanford?

WASHINGTON WON THE SERVE (“BOOM!”) AND SERVE RECEIVE BATTLE

The stat sheet shows that Stanford had 15 service errors to the Huskies’ 6. But that only tells part of the story.

True, the Cardinal served horribly in places, especially in the rotation spot shared by Kyle Gilbert (4 errors) and Lydia Bai (2 errors). But both Karissa Cook and Rachel Williams gave the Huskies fits with short serves that barely cleared the net.

“When you see a short serve,” said Orlandini, “you can treat it like a free ball, if you see it the right way. But if you don’t see it, it’s a really tough serve.”

But the Huskies adjusted, and countered with great serving of their own. Parker electrified the crowd with her jump serves. The student section thundered BOOM! on each of her shots.

“She’s been working on it all week,” Orlandini said. “And we were telling her, just rip it. Don’t roll-shot it, just rip it. It was awesome.”

In the fifth set in particular, Stanford setter Cook handled so many poor passes that she was rarely able to disguise her target, and the Huskies capitalized.

THE HUSKIES’ SETTERS DISTRIBUTED THE BALL

Last weekend’s losses at UCLA and USC were blamed, in large part, on poor passing. It got so bad that—for the first time this season—McLaughlin pulled Orlandini from the match.

“It sucked coming out,” Orlandini said.” I was sitting on the bench (in Los Angeles), like, this sucks. So this whole week, I was working, I was working hard to be the best, and make sure my spot is my spot. No one’s gonna come here and take it.”

The sophomore libero responded with such a good performance, that McLaughlin occasionally went to a rarely-used two-person serve-receive, with Orlandini and Summer Ross. That freed Vansant to focus more on her attack. Orlandini credited Ross, whose beach volleyball passing skills transfer well to the indoor game.

Washington's Gabbi Parker (11) connects against Stanford
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

“Summer, I think she passed like 70%. That’s awesome. She’s passing like a libero.”

With the luxury of better passing, setters Evan Sanders and Jenni Nogueras responded with better distribution, sending Parker a season-high 39 attempts.

“We really worked on her getting more swings, spreading out our offense in transition,” said Vansant. “She played awesome tonight.”

“We’ve been working on her being on the right step--second step—when we’re closer (to the net),” said Bianca Rowland. “Just speeding up the set. She’s made a lot of improvement in practice, and it’s finally showing in games. Everyone’s really proud of her.”

Parker finished with 16 kills (.231), a career high. She spread around the credit.

“I’m connecting a lot better with Evan, a lot better with Jenni. They’re really doing well spreading out the offense a lot more. Kudos to the setters, kudos to the passers for being able to get it to the setters. ‘Cause everybody did amazing to get it to me.”

WASHINGTON’S BIG HITTERS CAME UP BIG

Through most of the match, Stanford’s Williams (20 kills, 9 errors, 57 swings) and Washington’s Vansant (18 kills, 6 errors, 59 swings) cancelled each other out (except for Vansant’s valiant performance in the fifth set.)

Stanford’s Carly Wopat is one of the best hitters in country; last night was no exception. She had 11 kills and just one error on 33 attempts. (.303). But on this night, she, too, had an equal on the other site of the net: Bianca Rowland (11 kills, one error on 22 attempts).

Over the past five matches, Rowland has been on a roll that no one else in the conference—maybe no one else in the nation—can match:

• vs. Arizona State: 10 kills, 0 errors, 22 attempts (.455)
• vs. Arizona: 5 kills, 1 error, 15 attempts (.267)
• @ UCLA: 14 kills, 0 errors, 21 attempts (.667)
• @USC: 8 kills, 1 error, 19 attempts (.368)
• vs. Stanford: 11 kills, 1 error, 22 attempts (.455)

That’s a combined 48 kills, 3 errors on 99 attempts. A .455 average overall—and a .500 average against the most recent three opponents, all of whom are rated in the nation’s top four this week.

Bianca Rowland (15)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

And to think: earlier in the season, before McLaughlin switched to a two-setter offense, the big question was: why isn’t Bianca Rowland hitting?

“Her back was against the wall,” said McLaughlin. “And she made some changes and worked hard. She’s one of the greatest kids I’ve ever coached in terms of that improvement, that turnaround. She should be a first team All-American, the way she’s carrying this team. And she’s teaching these other girls how to do it.”

“A lot of times, we like to play for someone,” said Parker. “I feel like we were playing for Bianca tonight, because she was just on fire.”

That fire spread to the rest of the team. Before the match, McLaughlin had an inkling it might come down to which team could simply outlast the other.

“Jim said, ‘Who can fight the longest? Who can stay on task longest?’” Orlandini said. “And we did it. We proved it.”

“I’m glad,” said Rowland,” that we finally know what it feels to fight back and win a close match.”