Huskies Win NCAA Rematch Over No. 17 Creighton

Saturday, September 14

Omaha, NE

5:30 PM

University of Washington

7-1

Creighton

5-3

Washington

Creighton

September 14, 2019 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: UW Athletic Communications

OMAHA, Neb. – Same location, same satisfying result for the 12th-ranked Husky volleyball team, which returned to the scene of its biggest win from 2018 and overcame another talented top-20 Creighton squad tonight in front of 1,896 fans at D.J. Sokol Arena. Washington had a great all-around effort, hitting .325 for the match, to defeat the 17th-ranked Bluejays 25-19, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19, and win the Bluejay Invitational.

The Huskies had upset ninth-seeded Creighton in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Championships but Creighton had the chance for some payback tonight. It was also a rubber-match of sorts as the Bluejays had earned a win in Seattle back in 2017. The Huskies continued the win streak for the road teams, clicking on all cylinders in the first two sets, and despite letting a four-point lead slip in the third set, UW regained control in the fourth and closed it out.

Washington (7-1) got its third win this season against top-25 competition and won the two-day tournament with a 3-0 mark, having beaten Nebraska-Omaha earlier on Saturday, and swept Drake on Friday.

Senior Kara Bajema was named the tournament MVP and sophomores Claire Hoffman and Ella May Powell were also named to the All-Tournament Team. Bajema and Hoffman shared the team lead tonight with 16 kills apiece while Powell had a double-double with 45 assists and 11 digs.

Junior Samantha Drechsel came up with 10 kills, three aces, and five blocks, and junior Lauren Sanders had five kills, hitting .500, with three blocks. Senior Shayne McPherson dug 16 and had an ace and three assists.

Washington's .325 attack percentage was a season-high, and it held Creighton to .213. The Dawgs had nine aces compared to five for Creighton, and held the edge in blocks (9-4) and digs (56-49).

"You come to this gym expecting to face a great team and we'd seen what they had done to some traditionally great teams and so having been here last December, we were working hard for this," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "A lot of tough serving from us, probably the best we've served all season. Creighton returned fire in the third set and in the fourth set we got back to form and added a few blocks to pull away."

Bajema and Hoffman combined for 32 kills and just six errors on 67 swings. "We haven't had a match like that where they were both that clean and that effective, and when we had passes off the net they took care of it for us. Claire and Kara were outstanding," Cook said.

UP NEXT: Washington now sets up for an exciting home-and-home series against No. 9 Wisconsin. First it will be a Madison match-up this Thursday, Sept. 19. Then the teams will head for Seattle for UW's long-awaited home opener on Saturday, Sept. 21.

SET 1: Claire Hoffman aced the Bluejays twice in a row early in the first set for a 3-1 Huskies lead. Sanders had the first Husky kill on a back set from Powell for 4-1. Niece followed the same path a few points later for her first kill and a 7-3 lead. One of the best points of the season thus far came at 9-5, with multiple defensive saves and a joust at the net and it was eventually put up on UW's side with a kill from Hoffman. Bajema drove a hard float for an ace and 10-5. Bajema rolled one deep and Creighton couldn't control it, making it 13-7, and Creighton took the first timeout. Bajema pulled the string on one over the blockers and down for 15-9. Creighton pulled within four with an ace, but Hoffman had a big kill through the block after a lengthy rally for 18-12, and then Niece and Drechsel followed that with a booming stuff for 19-12 and Creighton took its final timeout. Out of the break, a Bajema serve was overpassed and Hoffman hammered it for 20-12. The Bluejays rallied with a four-point burst to cut the lead in half. Niece ended it with a tip into the campfire for 21-16. Creighton however came back with two more points to bring it to 21-18 and the Huskies called timeout. Creighton found the net out of the break and then Drechsel brought the Dawgs to set point with two straight aces driven off Creighton passers. Hoffman put the set away with a kill from Powell in serve-receive for 25-19.

The Huskies hit .323 in the first set and racked up five aces. Hoffman led the way with five kills on 12 swings for a .417 percentage, while Powell had 10 assists and five digs.

SET 2: A perfect pass from McPherson led to a Powell-to-Bajema connection to start the second. Niece had a diving punch on two that UW kept alive and Hoffman ended the outstanding rally with a kill off the block to fire the Dawgs up early at 3-1. Niece then had a stuff assisted by Hoffman, and Bajema dropped an ace into the corner for 5-1. Hoffman tooled the block and Sanders then tipped over for a kill on a slide for 8-4. Bajema delivered a heavy blast from the left and a Creighton error made it 11-5 Dawgs. Powell and Sanders then closed the door at the right pin for a block and 12-5, and Creighton called time. Out of the break, Hoffman had a kill on the pipe to keep the momentum going at 13-5, before Creighton ended the 5-0 Husky run. An ace for Powell made it 16-7. Sanders put a quick away in serve-receive for 19-11 Dawgs. As evidence of things going UW's way, McPherson got the rare libero kill off a ricochet for the 20th point. Powell dumped for a kill and Bajema finished crosscourt from the left as the Dawgs neared the finish. Drechsel landed one to bring UW to set point at 24-17, and despite a couple Husky errors late, Bajema ended it with a roll shot for 25-17.

The Huskies hit .258 in the second set and held Creighton down to .088 with tough serving and three blocks. Hoffman and Bajema had four more kills each in the second.

SET 3: Creighton overpassed Powell's first serve and Bajema jumped up to spike it down. Drechsel and Niece blocked down a Bluejays swing for 4-1 Dawgs. Drechsel unloaded from the right in transition to make it 6-2. Creighton scored three straight with an ace right on the sideline that UW thought was wide, and a Husky error had it tied up again at 7-7. The teams traded sideouts with kills from Hoffman and Bajema. Niece finished a Powell quick set for 12-10 Dawgs. Drechsel set Hoffman who turned it back off an inside set for the point, and then Drechsel converted in transition from the right for 15-11 at the media timeout. Creighton scored out of the break but Powell had a one-handed set up for Drechsel on the next point and she smashed it for 16-12. Creighton scored twice before missing serve, but followed that with its biggest run of the match, five in a row, the last two on aces, to take its first late set lead at 17-19 and force a Husky timeout. Bajema broke UW out of the slump but missed serve for 18-20. The Huskies won a big point off a Hoffman kill to cut to 21-23, but hurt itself with another missed serve for set point Creighton. The Bluejays won it on their first chance, 21-25.

Washington lost the set despite hitting .393, as Creighton also hit .353 but had three aces while UW got none that set.

SET 4: A Creighton error started the fourth but Creighton then scored four straight before Bajema finished to make it 2-4. Hoffman got the Huskies back even at 5-5 with a finish from the left. Drechsel went crosscourt from the right and off the defense into the seats for 7-5, capping a great serving run from Bajema. McPherson served an ace to make it 9-6 and Creighton took timeout. Sanders finished a slide in serve-receive for 12-8 Dawgs. Cailin Onosko delivered a perfect pass and Sanders hammered another slide for 14-10. Bajema went up the line from the left for 16-12 Dawgs. Powell launched a set crosscourt to Drechsel who finished and then Creighton doubled a ball for 18-13 and used its last timeout. The Dawgs missed serve out of the break but Niece came up with a crucial stuff to end a tense rally for 19-14. Drechsel fired an ace to make it 21-15 Dawgs. Sanders and Powell inched the Dawgs closer with a block on the right for 23-16. Hoffman put another away for a third-straight point and the Dawgs had an armful of match points at 24-16. Creighton saved three, but after a long rally, Sanders put her foot down and stuffed a final Creighton swing to end it, 25-19.

The Huskies hit .323 in the fourth and cooled Creighton back down to .119. Drechsel killed four of her five swings in the set and Hoffman had four on five swings as well and after giving up three aces in the previous set, the Huskies surrendered none in the fourth and served up a pair themselves.