Huskies Host Regionals With Winner To Final Four
December 07, 2010 | Volleyball
Dec. 7, 2010
Purchase Tickets Here | Interactive NCAA Bracket
Complete Release in PDF Format 
» Husky Hitters Earn All-Region Honors
NCAAs Thus Far:
1st Round: Huskies Defeat Michigan In NCAA Opener
2nd Round: Huskies Get Sweep Of Hawaii To Reach NCAA Regionals
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS • REGIONALS
SEATTLE, WA • HEC EDMUNDSON PAVILION
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10
Washington vs. (2) Nebraska • 7:00 p.m. • Live Video
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 • 8:30 p.m. • Live on ESPNU
SETTING THE SCENE
The NCAA Volleyball Championships head into the second week with 16 teams still vying for the national title. The Huskies are among them, and will host one of the four NCAA Regionals this Friday and Saturday at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Joining Washington is No. 2 seeded Nebraska, No. 7 California, and No. 10 Minnesota, all programs with recent Final Four experience that will be looking to leave Seattle with a spot in the national semifinals, held December 16 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Huskies have reached the Regional round for the sixth time in the past eight years and will face Big 12 Champion Nebraska in the Round of 16 on Friday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. Pac-10 co-Champion California and Minnesota face off at 5 p.m. on Friday as well. The winners of each match will then play at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night in a match televised live by ESPNU.
Last week, the Huskies got their tournament run off to a fast start with a 3-0 win over 23rd-ranked Michigan. In the second round, UW faced 15th-seeded and seventh-ranked Hawaii, which had lost just twice all year and had reached the 2009 Final Four. Washington played arguably its best match of the year in dispatching the Rainbow Wahine in straight sets to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008.
2008 was also the last time UW hosted Regional rounds, and the last time it faced the Cornhuskers. Two years ago the Dawgs beat Utah to make the Elite Eight, but fell two points short of the program's fourth Final Four in a heartbreaking five set loss to Nebraska. The UW-NU rivalry began in 2005 when Washington defeated Nebraska to win its first national championship.
TICKET INFORMATION
The Regionals break down into two sessions. The first session is Friday's two semifinal matches, while session two is the Regional final match on Saturday. All Session tickets are available now with reserved chairback seats priced at $26, adult general admission at $16 and student/senior/child general admission $12. Individual session tickets will only be available at the event on the day of the matches. Individual session prices are $15 for reserved chairback, $10 for general admission, and $8 for student/senior/child general admission. Group tickets are also available at a discounted rate. All Session general admission tickets are only $10 per person when 25 or more are purchased in advance. Contact the Husky Ticket Office at 206 543-2200 for more info or to place an order, or order online through GoHuskies.com.
PRACTICES & PRESS CONFERENCES
Here is the schedule for Thursday's practices which are open to the public at Hec Ed as well as the press availability for each team.
Minnesota Practice 11:00am - 12:30pm California Press Conference 12:00pm - 12:30pm California Practice 12:35pm - 2:05pm Minnesota Press Conference 12:35pm - 1:05pm Nebraska Practice 2:10pm - 3:40pm Washington Press Conference 3:10pm - 3:40pm Washington Practice 3:45pm - 5:15pm Nebraska Press Conference 3:45pm - 4:15pm
HUSKIES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
This marks the 15th appearance in the NCAA Championships for the Huskies, and the ninth in a row under head coach Jim McLaughlin, easily the greatest stretch in program history. Over the last nine years, Washington has won at least one match in the tournament every year, going 25-7 over the past nine seasons including this year's tourney run. Washington has now reached the Regional Semifinals (Sweet 16) in six of the last eight years. The Huskies are the last Pac-10 team to win the NCAA title, doing so in 2005, when UW became the first team to sweep every match in the 64-team tournament era. Washington also reached the Final Four in 2004 and 2006, and the Regional Final (Elite Eight) in 2003 and 2008. Last year the Huskies were seeded sixth and defeated Northern Colorado in the first round in Fort Collins, Colo. before being upset by Colorado State in the second round. UW's first NCAA appearance came in 1986, and the Huskies got their first wins in 1988, when they advanced to their first ever Regional Final, defeating Stanford for the first time in the process. The next best run was in 1997 with current assistant Leslie (Tuiasosopo) Gabriel starring in the middle as UW reached the Round of 16. This will be the fourth time hosting Regionals for Seattle, and UW has advanced to Regional play each time previously in 2004, 2006, and 2008. Under McLaughlin, UW is 12-2 in NCAA tournament matches in Seattle.
SENIORS LOOK TO GO OUT ON TOP
Just a few days after saluting the home crowd on Senior Night, UW's trio of senior standouts were back on the Hec Ed court to open NCAA tourney play and extended their careers with two big wins last weekend. Jenna Hagglund, Becky Perry, and Kindra Carlson have each piled up invidual accolades, and collectively led UW to the NCAA tourney all four years of their careers. All have been named to the All-Pac-10 Team at least once. Hagglund, out of West Chester, Ohio, has been Washington's starting setter for the past four years, and has compiled the second-most career assists in school history, and 10th-most in Pac-10 history and is still moving up. Hagglund has appeared in more than 400 career-sets, ranking sixth in school history in sets played. She is also one of 10 finalists for the inaugural Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, and is a two-time AVCA All-American. Perry and Carlson have usually lined up as the left side and right side hitters to flank Hagglund and finish her assists with booming kills. After four years playing together, the two are just 10 kills apart, both having gone over 1,000 career kills earlier this season. Carlson, an Eaton, Colorado native, is currently 9th in school history, and Perry, who hails from Austin, Texas, is right behind in 10th. Carlson was an AVCA All-American last season and Perry was a Volleyball Magazine All-American in 2008. The trio led Washington to the Elite Eight in 2008, and now are back in the Sweet 16 in their final seasons.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
Washington opened the NCAA Championship at home, but was dealt a very tough road to Regionals with two teams ranked in the Top-25 all season. The Huskies opened up against 23rd-ranked Michigan on Thursday. An Elite Eight team in 2009, the Wolverines were without leading hitter Alex Hunt, but were still led by All-American setter Lexi Zimmerman. The Dawgs pulled out the first set, 25-22, and then continued to pull away in the next two sets, 25-17, and 25-16. Washington outhit Michigan, .321-.137 for the night and had 10 blocks to four for UM. The next night UW faced seventh-ranked and 15th-seeded Hawaii which defeated Portland State in the first round. The Huskies kept the WAC Champions in check, handing the Wahine just their third loss of the year with a 25-17, 25-11, 25-23 victory. At 24-20 in set three, Hawaii saved three match points before UW took timeout and Becky Perry killed an overpass for the win. The Huskies hit .328, including .516 in a dominant second set, and were led by Kindra Carlson's 18 kills on a .395 attack percentage. Jenna Hagglund had a double-double with 37 assists and 11 digs, while Bianca Rowland hit .562 with 10 kills. The defense held All-America First Teamer Kanani Danielson to just .176 with 10 kills.
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska won its 12th Big 12 title this season and was ranked third in the AVCA poll before earning the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA tourney. The Huskers defeated Sacred Heart and Auburn in the first two rounds at home last week to reach Regional play. Nebraska has NCAA Championships in 1995, 2000, and 2006, and has reached the Final Four a total of 11 times, most recently in 2008 when the Huskers outlasted Washington in five sets in Seattle. But UW's greatest victory also came against Nebraska, a 3-0 win in the 2005 NCAA title match. Nebraska's 82 NCAA tourney wins are second most of any school behind Stanford. This year, Nebraska has gone 29-2 overall, and has won 10 straight. Its only losses came in the second match of the year against Florida, 3-2, and at Texas, 3-1, for its only blemish in conference play. The Huskers are a very balanced team, with five players averaging over 2.00 kills per set but none having more than three. Two-time All-American senior setter Sydney Anderson shares setting duties with former UCLA Bruin Lauren Cook, and the two have the Huskers hitting .288 as a team, 12th-best in the nation, while opponents are hitting just .141. All-American middle Brooke Delano is ninth nationally with 1.42 blocks per set and eighth with a .414 attack percentage. Nebraska's block is fourth in the NCAA with 3.04 blocks per set. 11th-year head coach John Cook is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
Cal shared the Pac-10 Conference title with Stanford after going 15-3 in league play. It was the first conference title for the Bears, and head coach Rich Feller earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors. The Bears gave UW trouble this year, and were the only team to beat the Huskies in straight sets down in Berkeley. Cal then pulled out a tight four-setter up in Seattle. The Bears reached Regionals by virtue of wins at home last weekend over Utah State (3-0) and North Carolina (3-0). This is Cal's fifth-straight Sweet 16 appearance and sixth overall. Cal has one Final Four appearance, coming in 2007 where they lost to Penn State after defeating Nebraska in the Regional final. Senior setter Carli Lloyd, junior outside hitter Tarah Murrey, and sophomore opposite Correy Johnson all earned All-Pac-10 honors. Murrey is one of the nation's top hitters, ranking third in the NCAA with 5.22 kills per set. Sophomore middle Shannon Hawari also ranks third nationally in attack percentage with a .429 mark, and fellow middle blocker Kat Brown is 13th with 1.37 blocks per set. Cal is third as a team with a .311 hitting percentage and also ranks third with 3.06 blocks per set.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
Minnesota's season has been somewhat similar to Washington's, as the Gophers have a number of close losses but have been playing their best volleyball of late. In the first two rounds, the Gophers swept North Dakota State and Creighton on their home floor to extend their win streak to nine matches, and reach the NCAA Regional for the eighth time since 1999. Minnesota has made three Final Fours in this decade, in 2003, 2004, and last year in 2009 where it lost to Texas in the national semis. One of this year's biggest wins was a comeback victory at home against No. 7 Penn State, when Minnesota trailed 2-0 but won in a marathon fifth set, 23-21, in the regular season finale. Senior middle blocker Lauren Gibbemeyer was named All-Big Ten for the third time in her career, and junior libero Jessica Granquist is the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Gibbemeyer averages 1.41 blocks per set while hitting .373 with 3.23 kills per set, while Granquist averages 5.13 digs per set. Two young outside hitters provide the firepower, as sophomore Tabitha Love averages 3.43 kills per set, while freshman Ashley Wittman is right behind with 3.40 kills/set. Freshman middle Tori Dixon also added 20 kills last weekend, giving Minnesota a bevy of offensive options. Minnesota, coached by Mike Hebert, earned its first Final Four in 2003 by defeating the upstart Huskies in five sets in the Regional final. The teams met again last season, when UW swept Minnesota on a neutral court in Florida.
HUSKIES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Washington moved up two spots to No. 11 in the final AVCA poll before the NCAA tournament. But despite the lofty ranking, the Huskies were not among the top-16 seeds for the tournament, as the selection committee seemed to give more weight to RPI. The Huskies were ranked as high as No. 7 this season in both the AVCA and Volleyball Magazine polls. Washington is one of five Pac-10 teams among the top-11 in the AVCA rankings. Stanford, which shared the Pac-10 title with Cal, is ranked second and seeded third. Cal is ranked fourth but seeded seventh, behind USC which was seeded sixth and ranked fourth. Confused? UCLA is ranked ninth but also unseeded in the tourney. 20th-ranked Arizona also made the NCAA field. The Huskies opened the season ranked in the Top-10 in both preseason polls. The AVCA coaches poll ranked the Dawgs eighth, the second-highest Pac-10 team behind No. 4 Stanford. Volleyball Magazine started the Huskies 10th. Seven Pac-10 teams were ranked in the AVCA preseason poll, easily the most of any conference, leading the four from the Big Ten, though the Big Ten led all conferences with eight NCAA selections.
FOUR HUSKIES EARN ALL-PAC-10
Senior outside hitters Kindra Carlson and Becky Perry were honored as members of the All-Pac-10 Team for women's volleyball, as the conference office announced its selections. It is the second career selections for both Carlson and Perry. Senior setter Jenna Hagglund and junior middle blocker Bianca Rowland both received honorable mention as well. The awards are based on a vote by the conference head coaches. The top 14 vote getters make up the first team and remaining vote recipients are honorable mentnion. Carlson also earned All-Pac-10 honors in 2009, while Perry was last voted to the team in 2008. Hagglund was an All-Pac-10 Team member a year ago and was also honorable mention in 2008, while Rowland earned honorable mention for the second year in a row.
NUMBER CRUNCHING
Washington has ranked among the NCAA's most efficient offenses all year, and led the nation for a short stretch. UW now ranks No. 10 this week with a mark of .290. Junior Bianca Rowland ranks third in the conference and 10th nationally at .410. The Huskies are backing that up on defense, as they are second in the Pac-10 in opponent hitting percentage, allowing just a .169 mark, having held six opponents under .100. Opponent hitting percentage has dictated wins and losses thus far for UW, as they are 21-0 when holding opponents under .200, but 2-8 when they allow the other team to hit above .200. Jenna Hagglund ranks 10th nationally in assists per set at 11.75, and the Huskies are the only team in the Pac-10 with two outside hitters ranked in the top-10 in kills, as Kindra Carlson is fifth and Becky Perry comes in 10th. Carlson also ranks 21st nationally in points per set, at 4.82.
RECORDS WATCH
Setter Jenna Hagglund passed a major milestone last weekend against Stanford, when she tallied career assist number five thousand in the second set. Hagglund becomes just the 10th setter in Pac-10 history to reach 5,000 assists, now owning 5,242. She ranks second in UW history only to Courtney Thompson, the all-time Pac-10 leader. On the Bay Area road trip, seniors Becky Perry and Kindra Carlson both eclipsed the 1,000 career kills mark, with Perry hitting the plateau first on Friday against the Cardinal and Carlson getting her 1K kill the next night against the Bears. They are the 14th and 15th Huskies to surpass the mark. Carlson now has 1,213 and Perry is right behind with 1,203, as they both passed their coach Leslie (Tuiasosopo) Gabriel on the Arizona trip for 9th- and 10th-place all-time. Carlson and Perry have also moved up to third and fourth, respectively, on the UW career points list. Hagglund is also moving up the UW top-10 list in career sets played, now ranking sixth with 430 career sets under her belt. Against Hawaii, Jenna Orlandini passed 500 digs for the year, now with 503, becoming just the third Husky to hit that plateau along with Tamari Miyashiro and Candace Lee.
