Every day at VolleyMob we will preview several of the most notable and interesting matches in NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball. We will offer an inside look at some of those top matchups each day as we carry along through the 2017 season.
We are over the hump for week nine of the season and before another filled day of matches on Friday through the weekend, Thursday wets the palate a bit with five ranked teams in action led by west coast schools. Beyond that, a few mid-major match-ups with big implications on conference standings occur as well, although our match of the day comes from one of the bigger conferences in action in the Pac-12.
*Note: VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings is utilized for a team’s ranking
*The entire week’s schedule can be seen here.
THE BIG MATCH:
#15 Washington (15-4, 5-3) at #2 Stanford (15-2, 8-0) – 11 pm ET
- How to follow: ESPNU/Live Stats
The team on pace to win the Pac-12 this year meets the team who won it the last two years as #2 Stanford hosts #15 Washington in Palo Alto, California.
The Cardinal have not only won all eight Pac-12 matches, but have only been pushed to five once. They are also sporting an undefeated home record as both losses came on neutral courts to the #1 team in the country (Penn State). Since then, Stanford has won 10 in a row. Although Washington won the conference over Stanford last year, the Cardinal did down the Huskies in five sets in Seattle as Kathryn Plummer logged a team-high 18 kills.
While Stanford is on fire, Washington comes in trying to shake off losing three of five. All of those have come in five sets, as Washington is still figuring some things out with setter Bailey Tanner injured. Although the Huskies did lose that match last year with Stanford, Crissy Jones was fantastic with 24 kills, 12 digs, six blocks and a pair of aces. She’s also coming off a week where she logged 22 kills, including 15 in a five-set win over Oregon.
OTHER NOTABLE MATCHES:
Belmont (11-9, 6-2) at Austin Peay (19-4, 7-1) – 6 pm ET
- How to follow: OVC Network/Live Stats
Three teams have a 6-2 or better record in the Ohio Valley Conference, with the league’s leader (Austin Peay) taking on one of the teams tied for second (Belmont). The Bruins played a challenging non-conference slate but have excelled in conference play. With a win, they could move into a tie for first, while Austin Peay looks to distance themselves in first.
#8 BYU (19-1, 8-0) at Pepperdine (12-9, 4-4) – 10 pm ET
- How to follow: WCC TV/Game Tracker
This is the second meeting between BYU and Pepperdine for the season as the Waves were very competitive in the first go around. Things were even 1-1 in sets and Pepperdine held an 18-17 lead in the third. However, BYU came back and would win in four. This time the match is on the road in Malibu, as BYU puts its 11 match-winning streak to the test.
BEST OF THE REST:
#21 Colorado State (18-2, 8-0) at UNLV (7-14, 3-5) – 9 pm ET
- How to follow: MWC Network/Game Tracker/Live Stats
#22 San Diego (14-4, 7-1) at Loyola Marymount (12-7, 5-3) – 10 pm ET
- How to follow: WCC TV/Game Tracker/Live Stats
Sacramento State (17-7, 8-0) at Idaho (12-7, 7-1) – 10 pm ET
- How to follow: Big Sky Network/Live Stats
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