Match Stats
- #7 Washington def. #21 Utah 3-0 (25-21. 25-15, 25-18)
- Washington moves to 15-2 (5-2 Pac-12); Utah falls to 13-5 (4-3 Pac-12)
- Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, Washington (Washington hosted)
The Washington Huskies were down 21-16 mid-way through the first set, but ended on an emphatic 9-0 run with Destiny Julye on serve, and wouldn’t look back.
They were dominant in the 2nd and 3rd sets of the game and rolled to a three-set victory. The result was the Utes’ first road loss of the season, snapping a 6-game winning streak.
9 aces and a tight 8-player rotation led the Huskies to their 15th win of the season. Those 9 aces put the Huskies at 100 for the season and matched their season-high. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 with 1.54 aces-per-set so far this season.
Tia Scambray led the home team with 12 kills on a .241 hitting percentage.
Utah, who went 11 deep, had two players in double-digit kills, including Carly Trueman who had 12 on a .450 average.
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgXQnXJg_w4
Press Releases
Courtesy Washington Athletics:
SEATTLE – A nine point surge at the end of the first set got the seventh-ranked Huskies on track and fired up the Alaska Airlines Arena crowd, and Washington took that momentum to produce a sweep over 21st-ranked Utah, 25-21, 25-15, 25-18. The Huskies (15-2, 5-2 Pac-12) got their fourth win in a row and stopped a Utah squad that had won its last three road matches over ranked teams.
The Huskies started slow offensively but improved in each set, winding up at .295 overall for the match, while Utah (13-5, 4-3 Pac-12) hit .210. But one area where the Dawgs were on target from start to finish was the service line, as the Dawgs had nine aces while Utah had just one, and the Utes missed nine serves to just four Husky errors.
Set one was a major turning point, as the Huskies trailed 13-19, and 16-21, but Washington then came barreling back into the set and right past the Utes, winning the final nine points, eight of them off the serves of sophomore Destiny Julye, to grab the 1-0 lead in the match.
Junior Tia Scambray led the Huskies in kills for the second time this season and first time in conference, as she had 12 kills, hitting .241 with nine digs, two aces, and four assists. Junior Courtney Schwan was one kill off another double-double, with nine kills and 10 digs, hitting .292. Junior Carly DeHoog hit .455 with five kills on 11 swings without a miss, and junior Bailey Tanner’s 27 assists were paired with four kills. Freshman Shayne McPherson served up three aces and added seven digs.
“Serving and passing is the foundation of any good team, so I think we’re starting to develop a nice identity there, but we’ve got some work to do on both sides of the ball after the ball is in play,” said Head Coach Keegan Cook. “Tia had a great performance that didn’t start out that well, but she didn’t change her behavior and she kept working and I think after a little different swing in set two, she was aggressive from then on, and so I’m really happy for her performance.”
“We had a nice serving run there (in set one) by Destiny and then kind of kept the pressure on the rest of the night with our serving so it made things a lot easier, but Utah is a very good team.”
After missing UW’s last match with a foot injury, Kara Bajema announced return with a stuff block on the first point of the match. Utah made four service errors early but that helped keep UW without its first kill until Bajema put down a quick in serve-receive for 6-7 Utes. Scambray punched up a dig under the net and eventually got a swing down through the block for 9-10, but the Utes got a touch clal on the next point and then UW swung long for 9-12 and UW called for time. The Utes scored twice more on some broken UW plays, but the first Husky ace from Scambray helped UW close within 11-14. Utah extended to a five point lead again at 12-17 and the Huskies had to use their final timeout. Schwan’s first kill got UW back on track out of the timeout, but Tanner’s first serve found the net for 13-18. A kill for Carly DeHoog and an ace from Schwan cut the Ute lead to 15-19. Some tough Julye serving led to two Utah error in a row as the Huskies pulled back within 19-21, forcing Utah’s first timeout. Utah missed another swing wide out of the break to get the Dawgs within a point, and then McPherson had two huge digs, the second of which popped up above the net and Tanner stuffed it down to tie the set. The Huskies then took the lead on another Tanner kill as she hit a Utah overdig off the block and down for 22-21 and Utah took its final timeout. The Utes hit wide again after another tough Julye serve for 23-21, and then Julye drove an ace off the Utah receiver for set point, 24-21. A double contact on the Utes on the very next point capped the remarkable Husky run, as UW won the final nine points of the set to take it, 25-21. The service line was the difference, as UW hit just .207 with nine kills compared to .243 with 15 kills for Utah, but the Huskies had three aces and Utah made six service errors.
Utah took early command of the second set with a 2-6 lead, but UW rallied right back with a 4-0 run featuring a Scambray ace and a long distance bump set from Scambray that Schwan tracked and hammered for a kill to tie it. A block from Tanner and Jones, and a Utah misfire gave the Huskies their first lead, and then Jones dropped her first ace of the match in for a 9-7 edge. Tanner went to Schwan in transition on the next point and she tooled the block with a heavy swing for 10-7 and Utah took time as the Huskies were on an 8-1 run. Utah got a kill to snap the Husky surge out of the break, but a block assist from Bajema and Schwan kept UW on top, 12-10. One of the best rallies of the year followed, as Utah libero Megan Shughrou stuck her foot out to kick save a Scambray blast and it went all the way up to hit the scoreboard but stayed alive. Scambray then had to chase the ball down behind the up ref, and after a big dig from Schwan, Scambray came back to finish the wild point for 13-10, keeping the crowd fired up. Bajema got the most of a roof to keep the run going to 15-10 before the Utes got a sideout to end the 4-0 Husky run. DeHoog had a finish, and then Jones hung in the air to tap back down a Utah tip attempt, and another marathon rally was capped off by Jones connecting on the right side for 18-13, and Utah used its final timeout. Tanner kept the run going on Julye’s serve out of the break by winning another joust, and then Jones had a solo block for 20-13 before Julye served just long. A rocket off Scamray’s arm hit all court, and Julye got her first kill for 23-15 Dawgs. Washington got to set point, and on the first chance, Scambray had a nice dig and Tanner went to Schwan who placed one up the line for the point and the set, 25-15. The Huskies hit .222 in the set and held the Utes to .027. Schwan had four kills and six digs, and the Dawgs had five blocks in the frame, three from Jones.
Utah started the third set off with its first ace of the match, but McPherson answered with an ace of her own to spark the Huskies, as Scambray got a kill on a Utah overpass, and DeHoog drove one to the floor in transition from the right pin. McPherson then dialed up a second ace, and the Utes were then called for a rotation error to cap the 6-0 Husky burst. Schwan bent low for a dig that let Tanner find Scambray for the finish for 8-5. Utah worked its way back within a point, but a Bajema quick kill from Tanner made it 10-8 Dawgs. The Utes got even at 10-10 but DeHoog hit high hands on the left to regain the lead. Scambray terminated twice from the left as the teams traded sideouts for several points. Julye destroyed a pipe set out of the back row for a 15-14 Husky lead at the media timeout. A big point out of the break was prompted by a tough Scambray serve that led to a back row attack error on Utah’s setter. Scambray then got the second huge back row kill in a three point span, and Utah missed one wide for 18-14 Dawgs before the Utes broke the four-point run. Tanner dumped for a kill to keep the Huskies on top, 22-16. A service error got the Dawgs to match point at 24-18. Utah’s next swing caught the antenna to wrap things up with a 25-18 set victory for UW.
The Huskies have another big test on Sunday, as Colorado visits for a 3:00 p.m. match. The Buffs pulled off a five set upset over 13th-ranked Washington State in Pullman tonight to improve to 3-4 in conference play.
Courtesy Utah Athletics:
SEATTLE – The No. 21 Utah Utes fell in straight sets (21-25, 15-25, XX-25) to the No. 7-ranked Washington Huskies, snapping a six-match winning streak on the road and dropping its first road match of the season Friday night at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Utah fell to 13-5 overall on the season and 4-3 in Pac-12 Conference play, while the Huskies moved to 15-2 overall and 5-2 in league play.
Juniors Adora Anae and Carly Trueman registered 12 of Utah’s 15 kills and the Utes outhit the Huskies .243 to .207, but UW closed out the frame with a 9-0 run to take the first set 25-21. The Utes led by as many as six points in the frame, but six service errors proved too many and Utah trailed 1-0 heading into the second set.
Utah opened the second set winning six of the first eight points, but an 8-1 run pushed UW’s lead to 10-7 and later followed with a 9-3 run to go up 20-13. Utah had just nine kills in the frame and was limited to just .027 hitting as the Huskies took the set 25-15 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
UW opened the third set with a 7-3 run and never looked back on the way to a 25-18 win. Anae, Trueman and sophomore Berkeley Oblad teamed up to get the Utes back into the set, tied 14-14, but the Huskies countered with a 7-1 run and managed to close out the frame winning four of the final seven points.
Anae and Trueman accounted for 23 of Utah’s 39 kills in the match. Trueman led the way with 12 kills and Anae followed with 11. Junior Tawnee Luafalemana registered seven kills with a team-best .636 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Jessie Openshaw led the team with 24 assists and sophomore Megan Shughrou tallied a team-high 12 digs on the night.
Utah will be back in action on Sunday, Oct. 16, taking on No. 13-ranked Washington State in Pullman, Wash. First serve is set for 12 p.m. PT at Bohler Gym.
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