The Omaha NCAA Volleyball bubble has shrunk from 48 down to 16 teams. Let's look at our Cardinals against the Huskies today.
Washington survived a very tough second round challenge to continue its stay in Nebraska, and now the Huskies will try to book another week's stay. The Huskies (18-3) are set to battle ACC Champion Louisville (15-2) in the Sweet 16 this Sunday, Apr. 18, at 12:30 p.m. Pacific/3:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The match will be streamed online on ESPN3. (This is a ESPN or ESPN 2 worthy match, c'mon, four-letter network!)
The winner between the Huskies and Cardinals will have a quick turnaround for an Elite Eight match-up against the winner between No. 3-seed Minnesota and unseeded Pittsburgh. The Panthers, an ACC squad, did upset No. 14 Utah in the second round. That Elite Eight match is set for Monday, Apr. 19, at 9 a.m. Pacific/noon local, on ESPN2, for a spot in the Final Four.
So, let's look at the "Dawgs", (as they like to call the Huskies up there in the Apple State.)
After a first round bye, the Huskies took on the Dayton Flyers in round two on Thursday. Washington had five aces in the first set and pulled out a close second set for a 2-0 lead.
Dayton, however, wouldn't go quietly.
Washington had a match point to finish things in three sets at 24-23, but the Flyers won three straight to extend the match, and then took the fourth set as well. Tied at 11-11, the Huskies ended the fifth set on a 4-0 run to finally move on. Freshman Madi Endsley was the main offensive weapon, as she set a new career-high with 20 kills and hit .368. Shannon Crenshaw's 24 digs were two off her career-high, and UW out-dug Dayton, 71-65. The Huskies are 8-0 when they out-dig their opponents. Washington had just seven blocks for the match, but three came in the fifth set.
Louisville also had a fight on its hands in the second round, holding off San Diego in four, 14-25, 25-23, 25-17, 29-27. Junior Claire Chaussee had one of the best matches of the first two rounds, posting 21 kills on a .541 attack percentage. Amaya Tillman had 9 blocks as Louisville had a 15-7 blocks advantage.
Tough sledding for Dani's team today, no doubt, but if Chaussee stays hot and gets some help from DeBeer, Jones, Stevenson and Mbonu -- this could be a win for the Cards. Certainly, the VolleyCards can't afford to stumble out of the gate like they did against San Diego -- and service errors have to diminish.
Good luck to our VolleyCards. They are another example of a sport on campus that doesn't get nearly the recognition of MBB or Football, but clearly is having a MUCH BETTER SEASON than either of those two.
--sonja--
Washington survived a very tough second round challenge to continue its stay in Nebraska, and now the Huskies will try to book another week's stay. The Huskies (18-3) are set to battle ACC Champion Louisville (15-2) in the Sweet 16 this Sunday, Apr. 18, at 12:30 p.m. Pacific/3:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The match will be streamed online on ESPN3. (This is a ESPN or ESPN 2 worthy match, c'mon, four-letter network!)
The winner between the Huskies and Cardinals will have a quick turnaround for an Elite Eight match-up against the winner between No. 3-seed Minnesota and unseeded Pittsburgh. The Panthers, an ACC squad, did upset No. 14 Utah in the second round. That Elite Eight match is set for Monday, Apr. 19, at 9 a.m. Pacific/noon local, on ESPN2, for a spot in the Final Four.
So, let's look at the "Dawgs", (as they like to call the Huskies up there in the Apple State.)
After a first round bye, the Huskies took on the Dayton Flyers in round two on Thursday. Washington had five aces in the first set and pulled out a close second set for a 2-0 lead.
Dayton, however, wouldn't go quietly.
Washington had a match point to finish things in three sets at 24-23, but the Flyers won three straight to extend the match, and then took the fourth set as well. Tied at 11-11, the Huskies ended the fifth set on a 4-0 run to finally move on. Freshman Madi Endsley was the main offensive weapon, as she set a new career-high with 20 kills and hit .368. Shannon Crenshaw's 24 digs were two off her career-high, and UW out-dug Dayton, 71-65. The Huskies are 8-0 when they out-dig their opponents. Washington had just seven blocks for the match, but three came in the fifth set.
Louisville also had a fight on its hands in the second round, holding off San Diego in four, 14-25, 25-23, 25-17, 29-27. Junior Claire Chaussee had one of the best matches of the first two rounds, posting 21 kills on a .541 attack percentage. Amaya Tillman had 9 blocks as Louisville had a 15-7 blocks advantage.
Tough sledding for Dani's team today, no doubt, but if Chaussee stays hot and gets some help from DeBeer, Jones, Stevenson and Mbonu -- this could be a win for the Cards. Certainly, the VolleyCards can't afford to stumble out of the gate like they did against San Diego -- and service errors have to diminish.
Good luck to our VolleyCards. They are another example of a sport on campus that doesn't get nearly the recognition of MBB or Football, but clearly is having a MUCH BETTER SEASON than either of those two.
--sonja--
