College | Washington volleyball dinged by tournament selection silliness

Huskies victimized by a flawed seeding system 

• Fri | 5:00PM | Michigan St. vs. Arkansas St @ Alaska Airline Arena 
• Fri | 7:30PM | Denver @ #1 Washington 

College | Pac-12 volleyball nonconference season opens against opponents big and small

#7 Washington goes 3-0 but #8 USC makes biggest splash | Seattle U gets big win

Washington's Cassie Strickland and Tia Scambray
-2014 file photo courtesy Shutter Geeks Photography

In Pac-12 volleyball, nothing is more imbalanced than the first four weeks.

On the one hand, schools like #8 USC and #2 Stanford traditionally seek out several top national opponents to tune up for the tough conference schedule. This year, USC matches up with—among others—#18 North Carolina, #12 BYU, #10 Kentucky, Creighton and Pepperdine, all front-line opponents. Stanford’s schedule includes #1 Penn State, #18 North Carolina, #6 Illinois, Duke, Minnesota and Texas A&M, perhaps the toughest nonconference lineup in the country.

All across the Pac-12, teams try to schedule at least one marquee matchup. #16 Arizona has #3 Texas and #22 Ohio State; #15 Arizona State has #6 Illinois and #9 Colorado State; #21 Colorado faces #1 Penn State, #6 Illinois and #14 Florida State; #11 Oregon takes on Florida and Nebraska, both tied at #4. And so on.

On the other end of the spectrum, both #7 Washington and unranked Washington State have scheduled teams that finished the 2014 season with relatively modest RPIs. Neither has an attention-grabbing opponent during the first four weeks, and the Huskies could enter the Pac-12 part of the season without being seriously tested.

In the Pac-12, scheduling philosophies fall into three general categories:

1. Get tough. Some coaches (USC’s Mick Haley, Stanford’s John Dunning) want their teams to face adversity early. Defeating opponents with high RPIs pays off at tournament time, when RPI helps determine which 16 teams get to host the first two rounds. Fans, of course, enjoy seeing top teams from other parts of the country.
2. Start slowly. Some coaches figure that success during the Pac-12 part of the schedule is what matters most, and all but ignore RPI implications. These coaches treat early season matchups essentially as part of extended preseason training, even if fans have little to look forward to. This season, Washington’s home nonconference schedule includes Buffalo (2014 RPI: 173), Murray State (114), two matches against Cal State Northridge (46) and St. Mary’s (162). None of those teams is currently ranked; Murray State is 3-0, St. Mary’s is 2-1, Buffalo and Cal State Northridge are both 0-3.
3. Play ‘em if only they’d come. Many Pac-12 teams travel across the country to face schools from other top conferences. But, with few exceptions, other power conference teams refuse to head out west, where they almost always lose.

Over the weekend, UW earned three sweeps in the annual Northwest Challenge, easily defeating Gonzaga, Portland State and Boise State. Three sophomore hitters—Courtney Schwan (4.0 kills per set, .444) Tia Scambray (3.3 kps, .300) and Crissy Jones (3.0 kps, .440) were the offensive stars across the three matches. Senior middle Melanie Wade had a hand in 16 blocks (1.78 blocks per set), while senior setter Katy Beals and sophomore setter Bailey Tanner each tallied 4 aces. Senior libero Cassie Strickland had a stellar weekend, averaging 4.38 digs per set. As a team, UW outhit its three opponents .363 to .132.

USC was the weekend’s biggest winner, defeating both North Carolina and 2014 National runner-up BYU at Galen Center. Trojan All-American Samantha Bricio led the way, averaging 5.80 kills per set, and was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week. It's all the more impressive considering USC snuck into the NCAAs last season with a 16-16 record, and saw All-American Ebony Nwanebu transfer to Texas in the offseason.

Stanford was without a star of its own: All-American Inky Ajanaku is out for the season with a knee injury. Even so, the Cardinal swept both Texas A&M and Minnesota, as senior Jordan Burgess averaged 4.0 kps. Haley Hodson was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after averaging 3.17 kps.

Colorado lost to #23 San Diego, then upset #14 Florida State. The Buffs also defeated Oklahoma, dropping the Sooners to 0-3. Washington will play Oklahoma in Norman in three weeks, and the Sooners were thought to be the toughest team on UW’s nonconference schedule.

In Berkeley, Seattle U (3-0) raised eyebrows with a 3-0 sweep of California (2-1). Jelena Vujcin had a big weekend for the Redhawks, averaging 3.33 kps. Including 9 against the Golden Bears.

Pac-12 schools suffered other early losses. Oregon State, coming off its best season in a decade, lost to both Wichita State and #17 Hawai’i. Utah lost to Lipscomb, a team with a 2014 RPI of 39, just behind the Utes’ 37. UCLA lost 3-0 to Loyola Marymount (44 RPI in 2014.) Washington State lost to Radford before sweeping both Elon and East Tennessee State.

NOTES:

• In 2001, Jim McLaughlin started his Washington tenure by going 1-2 that first weekend, beating Purdue, but losing to BYU and Texas. This past weekend, McLaughlin started his Notre Dame career by going 1-2, beating Middle Tennessee State, but losing to Bowling Green and Cleveland State. Over three matches, the Fighting Irish have been out-hit .251-.196. The Notre Dame roster includes just one senior and two juniors.
• The USA Women’s National Team is now 6-1 in World Cup play, and has taken the overall lead in the 12-team race for two 2016 Olympic berths. The most recent matches—against Peru, Algeria, Kenya and Argentina—have all been 3-0 blowouts. In three sets, Algeria managed just 14 total points (25-7, 25-2, 25-5). USA’s final four matches are against Cuba (2-5), Russia (6-1), Japan (6-1) and Dominican Republic (4-3)
• Congratulations to Brooke Niles and Karolina Sowala, women’s winners of the National Volleyball League’s Seattle Championships over the weekend at rainy/windy Alki Beach. Dave Palm and Eric Zaun won the men’s title.

National Team | Krista Vansant transitions to volleyball’s world stage

Vansant joins fellow UW alums Thompson and Miyashiro for Give it Back Foundation fundraiser; Misty May-Treanor at AVP event in Seattle this weekend

US National Team setter Courtney Thompson, outside hitter Krista Vansant and libero Tama Miyashiro at the Give it Back Foundation workshop in Lynwood's Academy Sports Center
-Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann

From where she stood, Krista Vansant could see both her past and her future.

In Washington Volleyball Academy’s gorgeous new Academy Sports Center in Lynwood, the former Washington All-American looked out at bleachers full of eager young athletes. The youngest were freckled, wearing braces on their teeth and headbands across their foreheads. The oldest were anxious about the approach of college and the demands of big-time volleyball.

On either side of Vansant were nine of her US National Team teammates, including fellow UW alums, Olympians Courtney Thompson and Tama Miyashiro. Thompson and Miyashiro had gathered everyone in Seattle for three days of technical and team-building workshops, all to raise funds for their new nonprofit, the Give it Back Foundation.

Squeezed between those two worlds, Vansant admitted that the transition from college star to international rookie has been a challenge.

“Definitely uncomfortable,” she said. “I don’t know if there’s ever a point where you feel comfortable. Even when I was at Washington, I don’t think I ever actually felt comfortable. I think that’s how you learn. I don’t think you can learn in a comfortable setting.”

In American volleyball, it’s rare for players just out of college to be in serious contention for roster spots in major competitions. But both Vansant and UCLA grad Karsta Lowe have made a splash this summer. Vansant was the leading scorer and MVP of her first international tournament, the Pan Am Cup in Peru. Last month, she spent two weeks in Turkey and Russia as USA won its first six matches of the World Grand Prix, then headed to Toronto as USA’s starting outside hitter at the Pan Am Games.

“It was a little weird,” she admits, “because the Toronto group had been training while we were off at Grand Prix. They had been working on different things and had a good sense of each other, especially with the setters. But we’re all friends, we all get along. So, it’s easy to fit in.”

On one amazing Saturday, one American split squad—including Thompson, Miyashiro and Lowe—won the Grand Prix gold in Omaha by defeating a Brazilian split squad, while Vansant and her teammates in Toronto beat the other Brazilian squad—including several Olympians—for the Pan Am gold medal.

At the international level, outside hitters must excel at attacking, blocking, passing and serving. Vansant has stepped into a system that some are calling “USA fast,” a quick-tempo offense with sharp passing and flat, pinpoint sets, something Vansant experienced during her four years at Washington.

“It’s not that much faster in-system,” Vansant says. “But out of system, it’s way faster than what I’ve ever done. At UW, we called a first step set out-of-system, now we’re going second-step sets in transition out-of-system. The coaches had to tell me multiple times, ’Krista, we’re going to set you a go.’ I had to trans off faster or get going faster.

“It’s definitely what I try to do. I think (former UW coach) Jim (McLaughlin) ingrained that into my head my freshman year: you’ve gotta get off the net, you have to be an offensive option. And it’s what I’ve been doing since then. But even today, there were times in Toronto when my teammates looked at me and said, you’re not transing hard enough, you need to trans harder.

“That was a wakeup call for me. You think in your head you’re doing something really well, and then some outsider tells you that, you figure it’s time to really kick yourself into gear and go. I think it’s a part of me, but I know I can still get better. I can get even further off to get an even bigger approach. I’m going against some huge blockers, so I have to take every advantage I can.”

Later this month, the US joins 11 other teams in Japan for the World Cup, an 11-match, 15-day round-robin. The top two teams earn a ticket to next summer’s Rio Olympics. 14 players will be on that World Cup team, and Vansant may be one of them (with setter Thompson and libero Miyashiro also likely candidates.) This fall, she’ll get her first professional paycheck, playing (with USA teammates Foluke Akinradewo and Natalie Hagglund) for Thompson’s old team, Volero Zurich.

And besides working on the technical side of her game, she hopes to take other steps forward, too. On that list: learning to relax when something on the court goes wrong.

“When I make mistakes, I get within myself. I stop talking, and that’s when bad stuff happens. Self-talk has really helped me. I’m trying to play outside myself. Jim (McLaughlin) would tell me that all the time, just play outside yourself, let your instincts come.

“I’ve been playing this game for over half my life, so it is instinctual for me. I hope frustrations are not too dramatic on my face, but sometimes it just happens.”

NOTES:

• Two giant Northwest beach volleyball events conflict this weekend. The AVP professional beach volleyball tour will be in Seattle this weekend at Lake Sammamish, while the annual Seaside tournament kicks off in Seaside, Oregon. The latter event is for beach players of all skill levels, while the AVP event is a chance to see some of the world’s top professionals and Olympians make a rare appearance in the Seattle area.

Olympian Misty May-Treanor will play in her first pro tournament since the London Olympics, partnering with Brittany Hochevar. An AVP spokesperson would not call this a “comeback,” for May-Treanor, and points out that she and Hochevar will be seeded 12th.

Also on the sand will be former UW player Summer Ross, and recent Pan Am Games indoor gold medalists Kristin Hildebrand and Lauren Paolini, playing in their first-ever AVP tournament.

Keegan Cook to replace Jim McLaughlin as Washington volleyball head coach

"A lot of cheers and smiles" greet announcement of Keegan Cook's hiring

College | McLaughlin on leaving Washington: “Notre Dame is a special place”

Notre Dame welcomes Jim McLaughlin as its new head coach.

College | Jim McLaughlin confirms he is leaving Washington volleyball for Notre Dame

See The Seattle Times Sports section for full updates

College | Jim McLaughlin’s image removed from Washington volleyball website

Washington and Notre Dame still mum as sources confirm that McLaughlin confers with Notre Dame players

Professional | Courtney Thompson leads Zurich to upset win over Istanbul

Former Washington great helps shake up CEV Cup with a win over a team featuring USA teammate Jordan Larson-Burbach; UW & Notre Dame still silent about McLaughlin job change

Sources: Jim McLaughlin Leaving Washington Volleyball for Notre Dame

[this story reported by Jack Hamann and Terry Wood]

01.10.15 | 11:40AM | CLARIFICATION added to end of report regarding Coach Debbie Brown's Notre Dame departure.

Jim McLaughlin, a coach who built the University of Washington volleyball program into a national power, has told his players he is leaving to become head coach at Notre Dame.

NCAA | Nebraska outlines strategy for facing Washington volleyball’s Krista Vansant

John Cook calls tonight’s Washington match “the ultimate test”

• #12 BYU vs #8 Florida State| Fri, Dec 12 | 4:00PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• #11 Nebraska @ #3 Washington| Fri, Dec 12 | 6:30PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• Regional Final | Sat, Dec 13 | 8:30PM | Alaska Airlines Arena

NCAA | Nebraska vs Washington is a big time volleyball rivalry

Five things to know about the Huskers as they arrive in Seattle

• #12 BYU vs #8 Florida State| Fri, Dec 12 | 4:00PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• #11 Nebraska @ #3 Washington| Fri, Dec 12 | 6:30PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• Regional Final | Sat, Dec 13 | 8:30PM | Alaska Airlines Arena

NCAA | Jim McLaughlin on Krista Vansant: “She has the heart of a lion”

"I love to dig. It’s like my favorite thing ever." -- Krista Vansant

• #21 Duke vs. #23 Hawai’i | Fri, Dec 5 | 5PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• New Hampshire @ #3 Washington | Fri, Dec 5 | 7PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• NCAA Second Round | Sat, Dec 6 | 7PM | Alaska Airlines Arena

NCAA | Ticket sales climbing for volleyball tournament’s first 4 rounds

Is Seattle the best of the 16 subregionals? Consider coaches, rankings, rivalries and geography

• #21 Duke vs. #23 Hawai’i | Fri, Dec 5 | 5PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• New Hampshire @ #3 Washington | Fri, Dec 5 | 7PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• NCAA Second Round | Sat, Dec 6 | 7PM | Alaska Airlines Arena

NCAA | New Hampshire, Washington volleyball’s first opponent, promises to compete

Wildcats’ head coach among the winningest in the NCAA

• #21 Duke vs. #23 Hawai’i | Fri, Dec 5 | 5PM | Alaska Airlines Arena
• New Hampshire @ #3 Washington | Fri, Dec 5 | 7PM | Alaska Airlines Arena

College | Where will Washington volleyball land in the NCAA Tournament?

Our best guesses and a Huskies injury update

• #5 Washington def. Washington State 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 26-24)
• NCAA Selection Show | Sun, Nov 30 | 5:30PM | ESPNU

College | Washington volleyball has plenty to be thankful for in win over Stanford

Huskies “on cloud nine” after knocking off #1 Cardinal before 8,646

#5 Washington def. #1 Stanford 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20)

• #5 Washington @ Washington State | Fri, Nov 28 | 5PM
• NCAA Selection Show | Sun, Nov 30 | 5:30PM | ESPNU

College | At last: Washington volleyball faces Stanford

Season’s only regular-season meeting should decide NCAA top seedings

#5 Washington def. #22 Arizona State 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-19)

• #1 Stanford @ #5 Washington | Wed, Nov 26 | 5PM
• #5 Washington @ Washington State | Fri, Nov 28 | 5PM
• NCAA Selection Show | Sun, Nov 30 | 5:30PM | ESPNU

College | Tia Scambray is passing fancy in Washington volleyball win

Arizona targets freshman outside hitter to no avail

#5 Washington def. #13 Arizona 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-19)

• #22 Arizona State @ #5 Washington | Sun, Nov 23 | 11AM
• #1 Stanford @ #5 Washington | Wed, Nov 26 | 5PM

College | A good loss? Volleyball coaches beg to differ

Top volleyball minds see no special lessons in losing

#22 Colorado def. #2 Washington 3-2 (27-25, 26-24, 17-25, 23-25, 15-11)

• #2 Washington @ Utah | Sat, Nov 15 | 6PM

College | Washington volleyball signs Destiny Julye to National Letter of Intent

5’10 hitter from Tehachapi, California impressed by Washington’s “mental game” 

• #2 Washington @ #22 Colorado | Thu, Nov 13 | 5PM
• #2 Washington @ Utah | Sat, Nov 15 | 6PM