Huskies To Honor 2005 Title Team At Minnesota Match
September 10, 2025 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – Amazingly, this season marks the 20th anniversary of Washington Volleyball winning its first NCAA Championship. To commemorate this legendary team, Washington Athletics will welcome back much of the 2005 squad at the Oct. 18 home match against Minnesota at Alaska Airlines Arena.
"I'm super excited to bring back the 2005 team," said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel, who was an assistant coach that season. "Obviously that's a special group for me and our program because they came in when we were trying to build something new, and they were people that just wanted to get better each day, and they became great and did some phenomenal things together. I'm excited for our current team to meet them and hear some of their stories, and I'm excited to bring them back for the community, because it was a fun four-year ride to watch that group grow and win a national championship."
Part of the celebration features a $20 ticket bundle (+ taxes and fees) that includes both the Saturday, Oct. 18 celebration against Minnesota, plus tickets to the previous night's showdown with defending national champion Penn State, on Friday night, Oct. 17. Both matches start at 7 p.m.
Saturday's celebration will also include:
Fans are encouraged to submit their own memories of the 2005 team as a tribute to the team and they may potentially be shared at the match or used on social media.
The 2005 team played at one of the highest levels the sport has seen, coming off what was to that point the best season in school history, and improving on it in every way. The 2004 Huskies had won the program's first Pac-10 title and reached the Final Four for the first time.
Coming back with unfinished business, the 2005 team went 32-1, winning a second-straight Pac-10 title, and marching through the NCAA tournament, back to the Final Four where UW swept Tennessee in the semifinals and then swept No. 1 Nebraska in the championship match.
UW became the first, and to this day remains the only team to sweep every match in the NCAA tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams. The Huskies had just one loss on the season, 13-15 in the fifth set at UCLA on Nov. 12, but that only seemed to catalyze the team, as UW would not lose another set the rest of the season.
The team was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 2010 and individual members Courtney Thompson, Sanja Tomasevic, and Christal Morrison have also been inducted as individuals.
"I'm super excited to bring back the 2005 team," said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel, who was an assistant coach that season. "Obviously that's a special group for me and our program because they came in when we were trying to build something new, and they were people that just wanted to get better each day, and they became great and did some phenomenal things together. I'm excited for our current team to meet them and hear some of their stories, and I'm excited to bring them back for the community, because it was a fun four-year ride to watch that group grow and win a national championship."
Part of the celebration features a $20 ticket bundle (+ taxes and fees) that includes both the Saturday, Oct. 18 celebration against Minnesota, plus tickets to the previous night's showdown with defending national champion Penn State, on Friday night, Oct. 17. Both matches start at 7 p.m.
Saturday's celebration will also include:
- Giveaways
- 5,000 commemorative Rally Towels in seats. Made possible by Pepsi
- 500 UW Volleyball Sweatbands. Dawg Pack Only
- Fan Photo Station - Take a photo with the 2005 National Championship trophy in the Alaska Airlines Arena concourse!
Fans are encouraged to submit their own memories of the 2005 team as a tribute to the team and they may potentially be shared at the match or used on social media.
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— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 10, 2025
On October 18 against Minnesota, be in Hec Ed to celebrate 2?0? years since the Huskies won the National Championship ??
>> https://t.co/tN5Lxgacn8#PointHuskies // @NCAAVolleyball pic.twitter.com/I5Qs0KAhCV
The 2005 team played at one of the highest levels the sport has seen, coming off what was to that point the best season in school history, and improving on it in every way. The 2004 Huskies had won the program's first Pac-10 title and reached the Final Four for the first time.
Coming back with unfinished business, the 2005 team went 32-1, winning a second-straight Pac-10 title, and marching through the NCAA tournament, back to the Final Four where UW swept Tennessee in the semifinals and then swept No. 1 Nebraska in the championship match.
UW became the first, and to this day remains the only team to sweep every match in the NCAA tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams. The Huskies had just one loss on the season, 13-15 in the fifth set at UCLA on Nov. 12, but that only seemed to catalyze the team, as UW would not lose another set the rest of the season.
The team was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 2010 and individual members Courtney Thompson, Sanja Tomasevic, and Christal Morrison have also been inducted as individuals.
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