Aug. 29, 2012 
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The Invitiational At Seattle, Washington
UW vs. Seattle U. | Thursday, Sept. 6, 7:00 | Gametracker
UW vs. Long Beach St. | Friday, Sept. 7, 7:00 | Gametracker |
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Off to a strong start through the first two weeks of the season, the Husky volleyball team returns home for a pair of matches this Thursday and Friday, both at 7 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. As part of The Invitational At Seattle, Washington, the Huskies host Seattle U. on Thursday followed by Long Beach State on Friday. Long Beach State will then play at Seattle's Connolly Center on Saturday.
• Washington improved to 6-0 with a win at the Tiger Classic last week in Houston, defeating then-No. 7 Purdue, LSU, and Rice. The wins boosted UW into the top-10 for the first time this season at No. 7 in the AVCA poll and No. 9 in the Volleyball Magazine poll. Sophomore Krista Vansant earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after being named tournament MVP.
• With the 3-0 win over Purdue, ranked No. 7 at the time of the match, Washington earned its first win this season over a top-10 opponent. While such a victory is always cause for celebration, UW has regularly overcome top-10 opponents under Head Coach Jim McLaughlin. This is the 10th-straight season that the Huskies have defeated a top-10 team, and the 37th win overall for UW against a top-10 team during McLaughlin's tenure.
• This is a big season for Seattle U. which is competing in the Western Athletic Conference for the first time. The Redhawks were ranked ninth in the WAC preseason poll. Seattle is off to a 4-3 start, and played across the state in Pullman last week against the Cougars, falling 3-0. The Huskies have a 6-0 series lead and swept the Redhawks last season.
• Long Beach State has built a storied program under 28th-year Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro. The 49ers (2-4) have an ongoing streak of 25 consecutive years reaching the NCAA tournament, as they lost in the first round last year after winning another Big West Conference title. The 49ers have never visited Seattle, but Washington has been to Long Beach twice during Coach McLaughlin's tenure, earning a 3-1 win last season and a 3-1 win in 2007.
