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.
Rounding out week five and the beginning of conference action is one of the best Sunday slates thus far of the season. With two ranked match-ups and several other ranked or ‘on the cusp’ teams in action, today should have a nice impact on next week’s VolleyMob Top 25 just a day before its release.
*Note: VolleyMob’s Top 25 is utilized for a team’s ranking
*The entire week’s schedule can be seen here.
THE BIG MATCH:
#5 Stanford (8-2) at #20 Colorado (10-2) – 2 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks/Live Stats)
Pac-12 play continues for these two teams as Colorado looks to cement their spot in the VolleyMob Top 25 after just joining the rankings earlier this week.
Colorado has the latest VolleyMob National Player of the Week in Alexa Smith, who will look to post big numbers against Stanford. The Buffaloes had a strong finish to the non-conference winning at Colorado State, but suffered a set-back to begin Pac-12 play in a valiant road effort at Utah (a four-set loss).
The Cardinal will look to finish their first week of conference play unbeaten after taking down Cal in three sets during the week. They can garner a big road win in this one as they took down the Buffaloes in four sets in both meetings last year.
OTHER NOTABLE MATCHES:
(RV) Michigan State (8-2) at #3 Minnesota (12-0) – 1 pm ET (ESPN3/Game Tracker)
Michigan State will look to pull off two top-five road upsets in the same week after narrowly besting Wisconsin in five sets. It won’t be easy against Minnesota, who took down the Spartans rival, #24 Michigan, in four sets to open up Big Ten play.
#1 Florida (8-0) at Arkansas (11-2) – 2 pm ET (Florida Radio/Live Stats)
Florida has its first big road test of the season and it comes against an upstart Arkansas team looking for a marquee victory. The Gators’ strong front line defense will be tested against Arkansas outside hitter Pilar Victoria, who leads the nation in kills per set.
#24 Michigan (10-3) at #4 Wisconsin (9-1) – 3 pm ET (ESPN3/UW Radio/Live Stats)
One ranked team will walk out of Madison on the day still winless in Big Ten play. It’s the tough reality of the competitive conference, as #24 Michigan lost at #3 Minnesota in four sets while #4 Wisconsin was upset on their home floor to (RV) Michigan State in five sets.
BEST OF THE REST:
LSU (10-2) at #11 Kentucky – 1:30 pm ET (SEC Network+/UK Radio/Live Stats)
Oregon State (10-3) at #18 USC (9-3) – 4 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks/Live Stats)
#7 Washington (11-1) at Arizona State (10-3) – 4 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks/Live Stats)
Cal (9-3) at #16 Utah (10-2) – 4 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks/Live Stats)
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