Washington takes outright lead as second half of volleyball begins
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No. 3 WASHINGTON holds a slim lead over the rest of the league, but this past weekend proved the chase for the Pac-12 volleyball title is far from over ... The Huskies claimed the top spot outright in the Pac-12 standings after defeating fellow top-five team No. 4 USC in four sets and extending its win streak to seven-straight games. It marks the first time since Nov. 9, 2009 that Washington has led the Conference outright ... USC and No. 6 STANFORD share the second-place spot halfway through Conference play. A pair of victories over the weekend kept Stanford’s home-court winning streak alive, having won 24-straight home matches in Maples Pavilion ... In dramatic fashion, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO and UTAH are tied for fourth-place in the Pac-12 standings. The Buffaloes and the Utes both swept the Arizona schools this past weekend, gaining steam as Utah earned its first-ever weekend sweep in Conference play and Colorado posted its third upset of the season in a 3-0 victory over then-No. 25 ARIZONA ... Pac-12 teams have recorded 14 upsets this season, nine of them coming in Conference play, and 12 of those upsets were posted by unranked league teams ... Five teams are ranked this week in the AVCA National Coaches Poll, with Washington, USC and Stanford remaining at their respective spots at No. 3, 4 and 6 for the second-straight week. The Bears, which earned victories over No. 20 OREGON and OREGON STATE, enter the weekend ranked No. 22 in the AVCA National Coaches Poll, while the Ducks are now ranked 23rd. Both Colorado and Utah received votes ... With nine games scheduled to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks, including two matchups between top-25 ranked teams, this upcoming week will prove to be another challenge for all Conference schools ... Washington’s Lianna Sybeldon was voted Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, while Utah’s Erin Redd-Brandon took home her second-career Defensive Player of the Week honor and California’s Maddy Kerr earned Freshman of the Week.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wednesday, October 30
#4 USC at #6 Stanford, 7:30 p.m. PT (P12N)
Friday, November 1
Colorado at Washington State, 6 p.m. PT (P12N)
Arizona State at #23 Oregon, 6 p.m. PT (P12N)
#4 USC at #22 California, 6 p.m. PT (P12N)
Utah at #3 Washington, 7 p.m. PT
UCLA at #6 Stanford, 8 p.m. PT (P12N)
Saturday, November 2
Arizona State at Oregon State, 6 p.m. PT (P12N)
Arizona at #23 Oregon, 7 p.m. PT
Utah at Washington State, 7 p.m. PT
Sunday, November 3
Arizona at Oregon State, 3 p.m. PT (P12N)
UCLA at #22 California, 3 p.m. PT (P12N)
Colorado at #3 Washington, 3 p.m. PT (P12N)
P12N - televised on Pac-12 Networks. ESPNU - televised on ESPNU.