May 4, 2012
SEATTLE - Another productive week of the spring season wrapped up for the Husky volleyball team today with the second of a pair of scrimmages over the past three days in the Marv Harshman Gym. Opposing the Huskies was a trio of experienced men's players, along with 2011 grads Bianca Rowland and Evan Sanders. On Wednesday, the Huskies won every set handily against the makeshift squad, but the group stepped up its play today and the quality of play was higher and more intense from both squads. The teams played four full sets plus a fifth set to 15 points, with the Huskies winning three of the four full sets and the men/alumni winning one 25-point set and the final 15-point set. "It was better volleyball on both sides of the net than the first time we scrimmaged. We had to be better in more areas, which I thought was a big deal. These guys are good players, Evan and Bianca were good. Winning is important but it's also important to keep process-oriented and keep improving, and our girls are doing that." The starting group for the Huskies was Jenni Nogueras at setter, Amanda Gil in the middle, Kylin Muñoz, Krista Vansant, and Gabbi Parker outside, and Jenna Orlandini at libero. Kelcey Dunaway would rotate in for Gil partway through each set. Needing a libero of their own, Kelly Holford started for the guests. In the first set, after trailing 1-4 early, Vansant served a 10 point run to open up a big lead. Amanda Gil had two solo blocks of Rowland in the middle that had her and her visiting mother fired up behind the court. The Huskies had little trouble maintaining the lead and took the first set, 25-15. The second set was much more back and forth. Dunaway had a nice kill through the defense to break up a tie at 18-all. Muñoz had a right side kill to get to set point, but Holford had a couple big digs on the other side of the net to keep her team alive. At 24-23, Parker hit one off the left block with enough force to fly out to the right and end it. Orlandini and Holford switched spots to start the third set, and Kaleigh Nelson checked in for Muñoz. This time the mix of alumni and men took a four-point lead at 15-11. Parker got a kill to cut it to two, but an Orlandini ace kept them out front. Vansant had a pair of leftside blasts to keep the Huskies close. After the Huskies came back to tie it at 22, the opposition got a kill and then Rowland blocked Vansant on a swing out of the pipe. On set point, Sanders caught UW with a dump for the kill and the 25-22 win. The next game was close again throughout. Dunaway served up an ace for a 16-15 lead for the Dawgs, then at 18-all, UW went on a 4-0 run with a couple kills from Vansant, one from the left and one from the right, and a big roof from Gil and Muñoz. But the guests came back to tie it at 24-all. After a timeout, the Huskies got an error and then a block from Parker and Dunaway to pull out the 26-24 win. Kim Condie checked in for the Huskies in the final set to 15 points. Orlandini, playing for the opposition, had two straight aces for a 6-3 lead, before Muñoz landed her second kill of the early going. A block from Dunaway and Nogueras and a kill from Vansant tied it back up at 7. The visitors went back on top, an ace from Sanders making it 12-9. Condie had an ace off the net to cut it to 13-12, but missed her next one for set point. Nelson saved the first with a kill. |
