Pac-12 women’s volleyball scores for Friday, Dec. 6
Wildcats Advance On with 3-0 Sweep of New Mexico State
The Arizona women’s volleyball team had recorded 12 sweeps this season, but No. 13 was different: It came in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats dispatched New Mexico State easily on Friday, finishing with a 25-14, 25-23, 25-19 triumph in the opening round in San Diego. Arizona (21-12), which has now beaten New Mexico in all 14 tries, returns to action Saturday night.
Volleyball Falls To BYU In Five-Set Battle
The Arizona State women’s volleyball team’s trip to Hawaii was anything but paradise. The Sun Devils started strong against BYU in the opening round of the NCAA tournament but eventually fell, 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 17-25, 26-24, 10-15), on Friday night. At Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center, Arizona State (19-14) was paced by Macey Gardner (27 kills) and Whitney Follette (17).
Bears Sweep UNC In NCAA First Round
It was the Cal women’s volleyball team’s fourth consecutive year facing North Carolina NCAA tournament. Unlike the last two years, both first-round losses, the Bears took it to the Tar Heels, recording a (25-20, 25-18, 25-20) sweep Friday at the UW Field House in Madison, Wisc. It marked the 600th career win for Cal head coach Rich Feller, who returns to the bench Saturday with his squad to challenge No. 13 Wisconsin.
Buffs Take Down Cyclones, Advance At NCAAs
In the first set of the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, the Colorado women’s volleyball team finished with an even .000 hitting percentage and a 25-17 margin of defeat. Lucky for the Buffs, it could only get better. Colorado rebounded from that woeful first set to cruise past Iowa State in the next three for a 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21) victory. The Buffs, led by Taylor Simpson and her 16 kills, take on No. 10 Minnesota Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Ducks Take Down Miami for Tournament-Opening Win
Liz Brenner led the Pac-12 with 4.62 kills per set during the regular season — no reason she would slow down at all in the NCAA tournament. Brenner’s 20 kills led the Oregon women’s volleyball team to a 25-16, 25-23, 25-17 sweep over Miami on Friday in the postseason’s first round. The Ducks (20-11), who served up six aces in Lincoln, Neb., will take on No. 9 Nebraska on Saturday.
Two matches into the NCAA tournament and the No. 3 Stanford women’s volleyball team still has yet to lose a set. The Cardinal was its usual dominant self on Friday, as the squad easily took care of Oklahoma, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-18), to advance to its 11th Sweet Sixteen under head coach John Dunning. At Maples Pavilion, Stanford (26-5) recorded 10 blocks and held the Sooners to a .097 hitting percentage.
USC Eclipses CSUN to Advance to NCAA Regional Semifinal
While the schools are in close in geographic distance, Cal State Northridge did not belong on the same floor as USC in Friday’s NCAA tournament second round matchup. The sixth-seeded Women of Troy earned a clean sweep (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) at the Galen Center to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. USC’s stalwart defense was led by Natalie Hagglund’s 13 digs and Alexis Olgard’s four blocks.
Utah Volleyball Advances Past Yale, 3-1
Utah’s first NCAA women’s volleyball tournament win since 2008 came just like one of its 20 regular season wins: with a balanced offense and solid defense. Powered by four players with double-digit kill counts, the Utes defeated Yale, 3-1 (27-29, 25-15, 26-24, 25-16), Friday at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. Utah (21-12) continues tournament action Saturday afternoon against Penn State.
Huskies Overwhelm Alabama State In NCAA Opener
Alabama State’s first NCAA tournament appearance turned out to be a short one. Behind a 42-11 edge in kills, third-seeded Washington cruised to an easy sweep (25-11, 25-5, 25-16) on Friday at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Huskies (27-2), who hit .372 and held the Lady Hornets to -.090, take on LSU on Saturday night for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.