Oct. 23, 2012
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#5 Washington at #7 USC/#6 UCLA
UW at USC | Fri., Oct. 26, 6:00 pm | Pac-12 Network
UW at UCLA | Sun., Oct. 28, 12:00 pm | Pac-12 Network |
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SEATTLE - It’s rematch time for Husky volleyball as the second half of Pac-12 play begins with a trip down to Los Angeles to face USC and UCLA. The first meetings between UW and the L.A. schools was one of the most thrilling weeks of the year thus far, but repeating those outcomes on the road would be even sweeter for the fifth-ranked Huskies.
The first time around, at the end of September, Washington (17-2, 8-2 Pac-12) was ranked right behind the then-No. 3 Trojans and then-No. 4 Bruins. The Huskies earned a thrilling five-set win over the Bruins and then followed it up with a 3-0 win over USC. This week, UW has the slim edge in the AVCA pecking order, and a one-game lead over both teams in the Pac-12 race, with UCLA (15-4, 7-3 Pa-12) ranked No. 6 and USC (19-3, 7-3 Pac-12) ranked No. 7
The Huskies will visit the Galen Center first on Friday to take on the Trojans. First serve will be 6 p.m. and the match will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks. Sunday, Washington will go for another win over the defending NCAA Champs at the John Wooden Center in another live Pac-12 Network broadcast beginning at 12 non. The Huskies will be looking for their first win at UCLA since 2009 and first win at USC since 2008. The Bruins have been especially hot on offense, hitting .301 in Pac-12 play, tops in the league by a sizeable margin as the Huskies are second at .277.
Last week, the Dawgs had a heartbreaking loss at home to No. 2 Stanford but bounced back to sweep California. Against the Cardinal, Washington was absolutely dominant in the first and third sets, winning both, 25-10, but Stanford saved set points to win the second set, 28-26, and saved a match point to win the fourth set, 26-24, before taking the fifth set, 15-7. The Huskies had to respond two days later, and stepped up to defeat Cal, 25-23, 25-15, 25-15. The biggest lineup note was the insertion of freshman Melanie Wade into the starting lineup, just her third and fourth matches of the year, and she responded with an average of 1.62 blocks per set to earn Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Continuing trends for the Huskies is their blocking, as UW leads the NCAA with 3.35 blocks per set. Amanda Gil now leads the Pac-12 and ranks seventh nationally with a 1.60 average, and 1.82 in Pac-12 only matches. Gil, the former UCLA All-American, will return to L.A. for the first time since her transfer. Washington now leads the Pac-12 overall in opponent attack percentage, at .164. In conference-only matches, sophomore Krista Vansant leads the league with 5.17 points per set.
