Press Release courtesy of Utah Athletics.
Match 16: #17 Utah at #9 Washington
Friday, Oct. 6 | 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. MT
Seattle, Wash. | Alaska Airlines Arena
TV: Pac-12 Network (Elise Woodward, Amy Gant)
Stream: Pac-12 NOW
Live Stats: GoHuskies.com
Match 17: #15 Utah vs. Washington State
Sunday, Oct. 8| 11 a.m. PT/12 p.m. MT
Pullman, Wash. | Bohler Gym
TV: Pac-12 Network (Anne Marie Anderson, Camryn Irwin)
Stream: Pac-12 NOW
Live Stats: WSUCougars.com
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• Utah faces its first Pac-12 road swing of the season with its first two of four straight matches away from the Huntsman Center.
• Utah continues to rank among the AVCA’s top-25 teams, coming in at No. 17 in this week’s coaches poll.
• Utah is ranked No. 14 in the first set of NCAA RPI rankings, which were released earlier this week.
• Utah senior Adora Anae moved up to No. 2 all-time in school history with 1,590 career kills. The four-year veteran is now just 31 kills away from moving into the school’s top spot and surpassing former All-American Kim Turner’s total of 1,620 career kills.
• Utah’s Adora Anae, Tawnee Luafalemana, Berkeley Oblad and Bailey Choy continue to rank among the nation’s top-100 players in respective statistical categories. Anae ranks among the national leaders in kills, Luafalemana and Oblad rank among the best in hitting percentage, and Choy continues to rank one of the top setters in the country with her assists to set average.
FIRST SERVE
The No. 17-ranked Utah Utes (12-3, 3-1) takes on its first Pac-12 Conference road test of the season, with a pair of matches through the Evergreen State this weekend. The Utes will head to Seattle this Friday, Oct. 6, to face No. 9-ranked Washington (13-2, 3-1) and then off to Pullman, Wash., later on Sunday, Oct. 8, to match-up with Washington State (12-4, 1-3).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Washington Huskies
Washington continued conference play on the road last weekend, traveling to Los Angeles to take on then-ranked No. 13 UCLA and then-ranked No. 20 USC. Washington split the road trip after picking up the 3-1 win over UCLA, but then closed out the weekend with USC sweeping the Huskies. Washington is 13-2 on the season and 3-1 in Pac-12 play. Seniors Carly DeHoog and Courtney Schwan lead the Husky offense with 3.10 k/s and 2.94 k/s, respectively. Senior Bailey Tanner registers 10.67 a/s, while senior Tia Scambray totals 4.24 dig/s for Washington. Washington ranks first in the Pac-12 in blocks per set and are led by senior Marion Hazelwood notching 1.56 blk/s and freshman Lauren Sanders adding in 1.53 blk/s.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State dropped both matches last weekend against then-ranked No. 13 UCLA and then-ranked No. 20 USC. The Cougars opened the road trip facing USC and closed out the weekend against UCLA with both matches resulting in four set losses for the Cougars. Washington State moved to 12-4 on the season and dropped to 1-3 in conference play. Washington State ranks second in the conference in blocks per set and are led by Jocelyn Urias registering 1.50 blk/s. Taylor Mims brings in 3.52 k/s, while McKenna Woodford adds 2.81 k/s for the Cougars. Alexis Dirige leads the Washington State defense with 4.29 dig/s, which ranks second in the Pac-12.
SERIES HISTORY
In a series that dates back to 1978, Washington has won three straight and 15 of the 21 total matches played between the two teams. Utah’s last win was a 3-2 victory over the Huskies, who happened to be ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time, back on Nov. 15, 2014, at the Huntsman Center. The Utes are winless in seven tries when facing the Huskies in Seattle and Utah has manage to take the match to more than three sets on two different occasions.
Washington State leads the all-time series 13-9, but the Utes have won two straight and three of the past four matches between the two teams. Utah swept the season series last year, which included Utah coming back from down 0-2 in a road match against the Cougars. It marked just the second time the Utes had won in Pullman. Utah won again in five sets at home later in the season. Four of the previous eight matches between Utah and WSU have gone the full five sets. Utah is 7-4 all-time against WSU since becoming a member of the Pac-12.
COVERING THE UTES
Both contests this weekend will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks with Elise Woodward calling play-by-play and Amy Gant providing color commentary for Friday’s match. Anne Marie Anderson will have the call on Sunday and she will be calling aside Camryn Irwin. Fans can also follow the action on-line by logging onto Pac-12.com/live or watching via smart phones and tablets using the Pac-12 Now App, which can be downloaded at the Apple Store, Google Play Store or Amazon Apps Store.
Live stats will be provided for both contests this weekend, with links to these matches found at www.GoHuskies.com (Friday) and www.WSUCougars.com(Sunday).
LAST TIME OUT
The Utes went 1-1 this past weekend, dropping a home match to No. 12-ranked Oregon this past Friday, but then turning around to defeat a solid Oregon State team that following Saturday.
The Utes came all the way back from an 0-2 deficit to force a decisive fifth set with the Ducks, but Oregon finished off the match with back-to-back points in a fifth set that tallied a total of 10 extra points.
Despite the loss, Utah’s Adora Anae moved up to No. 2 all-time in school history for career kills, surpassing Brenda Barton-Whicker’s total of 1,565 kills. Anae finished the match with 18 kills and a team-high 13 digs.
Utah managed to get back in the win column, sweeping past Oregon State the next day. Carly Trueman led the way with 13 kills and Brianna Doehrmann tallied a new season-high with 17 digs on the evening.
Utah hit just .266 on the night, but limited the Beavers to hitting at a clip of just .129.
POLL TALK
Utah dropped two spots to No. 17 in this week’s AVCA Top-25 Poll. Despite the slight move down, the Utes have been ranked inside the AVCA Poll for 16 straight weeks dating back to last season.
Utah’s No. 15 ranking last week was the program’s highest ranking since coming in at No. 15 in the final 2006 poll.
UP NEXT
The Utes will wrap-up its four-match road swing next week with a visit through the desert. Utah will take on Arizona next Friday, Oct. 13, before closing out the week at Arizona State on Sunday, Oct. 15. Utah makes its way back to the Huntsman Center that following week to host both UCLA and USC.
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