Oct. 4, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7
#3 Washington hosts Colorado • 7 p.m.
Alaska Airlines Arena
Coverage:
Live Telecast on UWTV, Channel 27
Live Webcast and Chat on GoHuskies.com
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8
#3 Washington hosts Utah • 7 p.m.
Alaska Airlines Arena
Coverage:
Live Telecast on UWTV, Channel 27
Live Webcast and Chat on GoHuskies.com
THIS WEEK IN HUSKY VOLLEYBALL
Washington welcomes new conference foes Colorado and Utah to the Pac-12 this week, concluding a four-match homestand before heading for another four matches on the road. The third-ranked Huskies (13-1, 5-1 Pac-12) are riding a five match winning streak in conference play and are just a half game out of the conference lead. Colorado will be in town on Friday, Oct. 7, for a 7 p.m. match, then Utah will follow on Saturday night, also at 7 p.m. Both matches will be televised live by UWTV, channel 27 in Seattle.
The Huskies had a pair of home victories agains the Oregon schools last weekend, first defeating 15th-ranked Oregon on Friday to snap the Ducks' 10-match winning streak, and then handling the Beavers in straight sets on Saturday. Senior Bianca Rowland earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season, as she had 15 total blocks (2.50/set) over the two matches.
Colorado and Utah have had a tough first few weeks of conference play. The Buffaloes are winless at 0-7, and the Utes are 1-6, with their only win coming against Colorado.
COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend will be televised live by UWTV, channel 27 in the Seattle area. Michael Preston will provide play-by-play and former letterwinner Carolyn Farny adds her analysis. Gametracker will be available for both matches, and GoHuskies.com will offer a live chat for each match as well.
UWTV TAKES THE HUSKIES LIVE
Washington will have a record 10 television appearances this season, including eight live broadcasts on UWTV during the Pac-12 season. Fans in the Seattle area can watch UWTV on channel 27 carried by Comcast. The new partnership will be the first chance fans will have to watch regular season matches on live television. UWTV broadcasts began with the Pac-12 opener against USC, and include home matches against UCLA, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, California, and Washington State. The home match against Stanford will be aired by ROOT Sports on a tape delayed basis, as will Washington's road match at California. In addition, every Husky home match, even those not televised, will be available to stream for free on GoHuskies.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Washington faced its fourth ranked opponent of the season in 15th-ranked Oregon last Friday at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Ducks came in atop the Pac-12 with a 4-0 record and had won 10 straight. The Huskies, however, proved up to the challenge with a 25-23, 25-17, 28-26 victory in front of 2,801 fans. UW outhit the Ducks, .273-.189, and dominated at net with 14 blocks to just three for UO. Krista Vansant had a team-high 13 kills and nine digs, and Bianca Rowland had six kills and eight block assists. Kylin Muñoz added 10 kills, hitting .348, and Lauren Barfield put away eight kills to go with five blocks. Oregon held a set point late in the third, but Vansant saved it with a kill, and had four of her kills over the last eight points of the match. The next night, the Huskies were not quite as sharp against the Beavers, but their defense held Oregon State in check. OSU hit just .071 for the match, and the Huskies scored a 25-16, 25-17, 27-25 victory. Again, UW was down two set points in the third but rallied for the win. A 13-2 run in the second set also erased a deficit. The Huskies hit just .191 but again were impressive at net with 12 blocks. Barfield had seven kills without an error to hit .538. Libero Jenna Orlandini had a season-high 26 digs to aid the defensive effort. Rowland had seven kills and seven blocks, and Summer Ross had six kills, 12 digs, and six blocks.
SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES
Colorado comes in to Seattle searching for its first Pac-12 victory, as the Buffs are 0-7 and 5-10 overall. They've lost on the road to the Bay Area schools, and at home to the Oregon and Los Angeles schools, plus a home loss to Utah. CU is allowing opponents to hit .242, which is last in the conference, and is itself hitting .193, which ranks 11th. Junior Kerra Schroeder has been the go-to option for the Buffs, as she ranks sixth in the Pac-12 with 4.15 kills per set. Senior setter Alyssa Valentine ranks eighth in the league with 9.90 assists per set, and sophomore libero Megan Beckwith is fourth overall with 4.48 digs per set. Washington has a 3-1 lead in the all-time series, and took the last encounter by a 3-1 score as well, back in the 2006 NCAA second round in Boulder. Coaching the Buffs for the third season is Liz Kritza.
SCOUTING THE UTES
Utah won its conference opener against Colorado, but has lost its past six, falling at the Bay Area schools, then losing at home to the Oregon and Los Angeles schools to drop to 6-10 overall. The Utes are 10th in the conference in attack percentage at .197, yet they have held opponents to a solid .190 mark, seventh in the Pac-12. The best numbers for the Utes are at net, where they rank third with 2.96 per set, led by the 1.40 per set of sophomore middle blocker Erin Redd. Senior middle blocker Danielle Killpack also adds 1.21 blocks per set, and is Utah's most efficient hitter at a .330 clip with 1.81 kills/set. Abby Simmons and McKenzie Odale share time at setter, and sophomore libero Nikki Sim is eighth in the Pac-12 with 4.09 digs per set. Mogan Odale had a double-double against No. 2 UCLA last week with 10 kills and 10 digs. Washington has a 5-4 lead in the series with the last meeting coming in 2008, when the Huskies beat Utah in the NCAA round of 16 in Seattle. Beth Launiere is in her 22nd year coaching the Utes, and has led them to 10 NCAA tournaments.
UP NEXT
The Huskies travel to the Bay Area for two of their biggest road matches of the year. Friday, October 14, UW faces No. 4 Cal for the first time this year after the Bears kept the Huskies from the Final Four a year ago. That match will be the ROOT Sports match of the week. Saturday will be another test, at seventh-ranked Stanford. Neither team has lost at home yet. Both matches will be at 7:00 p.m.
HUSKIES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The national polls got a bit of a breather as upsets were few this week, after the past couple of weeks had shaken things up quite a bit. Washington stayed put at No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, receiving one first place vote. UW is also No. 3 in the Volleyball Magazine top-20. Illinois remains No. 1 in the rankings for the second week, and UCLA again is at No. 2. The Pac-12 continues to dominate the top-10, as California follows Washington at No. 4, then USC at five, and Stanford at seven. Oregon is also 15th this week, making six conference teams in the top-15. The No. 3 ranking is UW's highest since 2009. The Dawgs began the season ranked seventh nationally in both the AVCA and Volleyball Magazine polls. That was down one spot from where UW finished the 2010 season.
RECORDS WATCH
The Dawgs are a young squad but there are a few numbers to keep an eye on early in the season. The first milestone came from Coach McLaughlin, as he reached the 250 wins mark at Washington with the victory at Gonzaga on Sept. 3. McLaughlin is already the winningest coach in program history, raising the bar with each subsequent win. Senior Bianca Rowland is making her way up the charts in career blocks, as she just passed Alesha Deesing for sixth in total blocks, now totaling 392. Her 371 block assists are also now tied with Lisa Underhill for fifth in school history. Rowland also recently passed the 1,000 career points plateau, the eighth Husky to do so since points began being tracked in 2000. Fellow senior Lauren Barfield may not have seen as many sets as Rowland, but her career average continues to climb. At 1.11 career blocks per set, Barfield currently ranks eighth in school history.
NUMBER CRUNCHING
A look at the current stats finds the Huskies near the top of the NCAA in a number of categories. UW currently ranks second in the nation in both aces per set, and blocks per set. Washington has done the service work collectively, as six Huskies already have double digit ace totals, and Bianca Rowland has seven in just the past four matches. Freshmen Summer Ross and Krista Vansant lead the way with 14 and 13 aces, respectively. The Dawgs have pushed their blocks average to 3.22, behind only Stanford in the NCAA. Bianca Rowland (1.45) and Lauren Barfield (1.43) are now second and third in the Pac-12, and 12th and 14th nationally, in blocks per set. The Huskies are second in the Pac-12 and fifth nationally in attack percentage, hitting .290, and their .116 opponent hitting percentage leads the Pac-12. Washington in 11-0 when hitting above .250 and also has an 11-0 mark when holding its opponent under .200.
