Back To Bay Area For No. 17 Dawgs

THIS WEEK IN HUSKY VOLLEYBALL 

#17 Washington at #9 Stanford, 5:30 pm
Stanford, Calif. • Maples Pavilion
Live broadcast on Pac-12 Networks National | Live Stats

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2

#17 Washington at California, 2:00 pm

Berkeley, Calif. • Haas Pavilion

Live broadcast on Pac-12 Networks National | Live Stats

SEATTLE — Week two of Pac-12 play brings two huge road matches for the 17th-ranked Huskies, as Washington returns to California for the second week in a row. One of three teams to start off conference at 2-0, the Huskies look to keep their momentum in a showdown this Friday at 9th-ranked Stanford in Maples Pavilion. From there UW heads across the Bay to Berkeley to take on California on Sunday, Oct. 2.

The start time for Friday’s match at Stanford has been moved up half an hour to 5:30 p.m. in order to air on the main Pac-12 Networks national channel. Sunday’s 2 p.m. meeting with the Golden Bears is also set for Pac-12 Networks national.

The Huskies have won six in a row including their first two Pac-12 matches last week, defeating Washington State at home and then UCLA on the road. The team’s offense was on target all week, hitting .386 combined over the two matches, resulting in a Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week award for setter Ella May Powell. But it was when UW’s defense came together that the team reached its highest level. The Huskies held WSU to just a .146 overall percentage in a sweep, and then after UCLA came out on fire offensively, the Huskies started extending rallies and held the Bruins under .200 in sets three and four on the way to the 3-1 victory. Washington now leads the Pac-12 and ranks sixth in the NCAA with a .307 attack percentage, but the team is also 8-0 when holding the opposition under a .250 attack mark.

Stanford is 6-4 and 1-1 in conference and suffered an upset last Sunday in Eugene against the Ducks. The Cardinal dropped to No. 9 in the polls this week after being up at No. 5 before that, thanks to a nonconference schedule that saw marquee wins over Florida, Minnesota, and on the road at Nebraska, while also coming up short against more highly-ranked foes in Penn State, No. 1 Texas, and No. 2 Louisville. With the challenging schedule, Stanford is hitting .246 on the year and holding teams to a .201 mark. Kami Miner sets the team with 10.70 assists per set, and the Cardinal have two standout pins in…