#14 Huskies Survive in Five; Ducks and Wildcats Win Pac-12 Openers

PAC-12 ROUNDUP

• Sept. 20, 2018

 RESULTS

• #14 Washington def. #21 Washington State 3-2
• #16 Oregon def. #24 Oregon State 3-1
• Arizona def. Arizona State 3-0

The second night of Pac-12 conference openers featured three matches between in-state rivals. In Eugene, Oregon, it was #16 Oregon who fended off #24 Oregon State in four sets to grab the opening round of the Civil War. Out in Tucson, Arizona, it was the Arizona Wildcats that swept through the Arizona State Sun Devils, in the first matchup of the Territorial Cup Series, the yearlong competition between rivals. Arizona reclaimed the title in 2017-2018 after the title resided in Tempe for five straight years.

In the nightcap in Seattle, it was #14 Washington that survived a five set thriller from #21 Washington State to capture the first Apple Cup meeting this season.

*MATCH OF THE NIGHT*

 #14 WASHINGTON DEF. #21 WASHINGTON STATE 3-2 (25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 16-25, 15-9)

• Washington improves to 9-2, 1-0. Washington State falls to 9-2, 0-1.
• Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, Washington
• Attendance:2,414
• Box score/Washington Recap/Washington State Recap
• Outside hitter Samantha Drechsel led the Huskies with 21 kills while hitting .327. Outside hitter Kara Bajema and middle blocker Lauren Sanders finished with 15 and 12 kills respectively.
• Outside hitter Taylor Mims posted a double-double for the Cougars with 18 kills and 13 digs. Middle blocker Jocelyn Urias also chipped in with 10 kills and was a presence at the net, tallying seven blocks.

"What do I want to get myself for my birthday?? 🤔🤔🤔" – Destiny

📺 @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/6O2cpJMaFj

— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 21, 2018

After Washington took the first two sets comfortably, 25-18 and 25-17, it looked as if the Huskies were on their way to a sweep of the Cougars in the conference opener for both teams.

However, Washington State had other plans. After going back and forth early in the third set, the Cougars grabbed an 8-7 lead and would not trail the rest of the set. Washington State used a mini 5-1 spurt to take the third.

In the fourth, the Cougars, again never trailed as they hit .387 as a team and limited Washington to just .094 on the attack. Washington State led by as many as 10 at 24-14 before the Huskies saved a pair of set points. The Cougars would claim the fourth, 25-16.

In the decisive fifth set, both teams traded blows early. But it was Washington who used a 4-0 surge to grab an 8-4 lead and coasted to the finish line with a 15-9 win.

 #16 OREGON DEF #24 OREGON STATE 3-1 (25-12, 23-25, 25-14, 25-15)

• Oregon moves to 8-3, 1-0 while Oregon State drops to 10-3, 0-1.
• Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Oregon
• Attendance: 4,589
• Box score/ Oregon Recap/Oregon State Recap
• Outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide (14), middle blockers, Ronika Stone (13), and Lauren Page (12) all registered double digit kills for Oregon.
• Oregon setter August Raskie assisted on 50 of the Ducks 61 kills.
• The Ducks held the Beavers to a .140 hitting percentage for the match, including below .100 twice, .077 in set one and .000 in set four.
• Oregon State was led by outside hitter Amy Underdown, who finished with 14 kills.
• The Beavers had their five-match winning streak snapped by the Ducks and now trail the all-time series, 76-43-1.
• Oregon State’s Haylie Bennett left the match midway through the 3rd-set, which stopped the momentum that the Beavers had built after the first set rout.

Full highlights of the Ducks' four-set win over the Beavers tonight in MKA ⬇️ #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/Iqq6WZuyzH

— Oregon Volleyball (@OregonVB) September 21, 2018

ARIZONA DEF. ARIZONA STATE 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-18) 

• Arizona improves to 12-1, 1-0. Arizona State falls to 9-4, 0-1.
• McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona
• Attendance: 2,685
• Box Score/Arizona Recap/Arizona State Recap
• Outside hitter Kendra Dhalke had a double-double for the Wildcats, tallying 14 kills and 11 digs. Middle blocker Shardonee Hayes and outside hitter Katie Smoot were each 9/14 on the attack, good for a .643 clip.
• Arizona has now won 11 straight matches against its in state rival at the McKale Center.
• Outside hitter Alyse Ford led the Sun Devils with 14 kills. Libero Courtney Leffel was all over the court defensively, notching a match-high 25 digs.

🎥 | We broke out the brooms in the Pac-12 opener. pic.twitter.com/d1XgMd2sYT

— Arizona Volleyball (@ArizonaVBall) September 21, 2018

UP NEXT

• Arizona heads to #2 Stanford at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
• Arizona State will meet Cal at 5 p.m. ET Sunday.
• #14 Washington heads to Corvallis, Oregon to take on #24 Oregon State at 5 p.m. ET Sunday.
• #16 Oregon hosts #21 Washington State at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
• Be sure to follow the Pac-12 all season along and check out VolleyMob’s TV schedule to find out the next time you can catch your school on TV.