Stanford claims Pac-12 volleyball crown as teams look towards postseason

SAN FRANCISCO - Despite two weeks remaining to the regular season, STANFORD has already clinched the Pac-12 regular-season crown for the second-straight year, claiming its 18th all-time title.

The Cardinal are still playing for postseason positioning. As the No. 2-ranked team in the nation and boasting the top RPI in the country, Stanford is looking to impress the NCAA Committee for that No. 1 seeding. The rest of the Pac-12 also look to make a case for a postseason bid and to nab one of the top-16 seeds in the tournament. The selection show airs on Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU.

The Pac-12 has always boasted some of the nation’s top student-athletes and this season is no different. Four of the country’s top-25 attack producers are in the Conference, including ARIZONA’s Kendra Dahlke and Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer, who rank fifth and sixth in kills per set, respectively. USC’s Brooke Botkin and Khalia Lanier rank 16th and 22nd, as well. All three of their teams and OREGON are among the top 25 in team kps. Feeding them the ball are setters Jenna Gray from Stanford (2nd), August Raskie from Oregon (4th) and Raquel Lázaro of USC (14th), who are ranked among the top 15 in the nation in assists per set.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK
• No. 16 Oregon hosts Utah on Wednesday, Nov. 14 to kick off the Pac-12 volleyball action on Pac-12 Network this week. The Ducks look to avenge an upset loss at the hands of the Utes from Oct. 14. It was the second top-15 win for the Utes of the season at that point. Utah is led by sophomore Dani Drews, who ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in points per set (4.43). The Ducks are led by Raskie offensively, but defensively are anchored by freshman Brooke Nuneviller, who leads the Pac-12 with 4.94 digs per set.
• No. 14 USC, who was listed among the NCAA’s top 10 last week, is looking to remain in the top 10 and earn a postseason home bid. A match at No. 24 ARIZONA could help the resumes of both teams for postseason consideration.
• No. 18 WSU faces the champs, Stanford, on Friday at home.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (All Times Local to Site)

* Pac-12 Conference Match

STANFORD CLAIMS 18TH PAC-12 CROWN
• With two weeks remaining in the regular season, STANFORD clinched back-to-back Pac-12 regular-season titles and its 18th all-time. Under the direction of second-year head coach Kevin Hambly, the Cardinal have yet to drop a match in league play and have four matches left before postseason action begins.
• The Cardinal look to become the ninth team in Pac-12/10 history, and first since 2003, to run the table in league play. Stanford has posted undefeated league seasons in 1991, 1995 and 1997. UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) and USC (2003) are the only other programs to accomplish the feat.
• USC is the only team to win 20 Pac-12 matches, going 20-2 in 2011, the year the Pac-12 expanded to include Colorado and Utah.

IN THE RANKINGS
• Seven Pac-12 teams are ranked this week in the AVCA Coaches poll with Pac-12 Champion STANFORD coming in at No. 2, gaining two more first-place votes. The Cardinal has been in the top two every week but one, including spending the first two weeks of the season in the top spot of the polling.
• USC is next on the list, coming in at No. 14, followed by No. 16 OREGON, No. 18 WASHINGTON STATE and No. 20 WASHINGTON. No. 24 ARIZONA and No. 25 UCLA round out the polling at No. 24 and No. 25. COLORADO and UTAH are receiving votes.
• At least seven teams have been ranked every week except one, including the preseason.
• 11 different teams have earned a top-25 ranking or have received votes this season with nine teams appearing in the ranking on Sept. 24. At least seven Pac-12 teams have been ranked every week except one, including the preseason.
• Stanford also maintains the top RPI in the country with USC (No. 7) also in the top 10. WSU (No. 10), Washington (No. 22) and Oregon (No. 23) are in the top 25. The Pac-12 also boasts nine teams with a RPI of 50 and better, and all but one are in the top 100.

WHAT’S TRENDING
• A pair of Huskies claimed Pac-12 weekly honors this week, both first-time honorees. Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week Samantha Drechsel and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Avie Niece helped UW go 2-0 last week and sweep the LA road trip for the first time since 2014.
• Stanford’s Holly Campbell was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after helping the Cardinal win back-to-back league titles. It is her second weekly nod of the season.
• Stanford’s No. 2 national ranking can easily be justified by looking at the team’s statistical numbers. It has found success with a balanced offensive attack and a staunch defense leading the nation in blocks per set (3.35) while ranking second in assists per set (14.13) and hitting percentage (.307), and third in kills per set (15.02).
• The Pac-12 boasts some of the best setters in the nation, with three student-athletes ranked in the top-15 in assists per set. Stanford’s Jenna Gray is second in the country with 12.42 aps and Oregon’s August Raskie ranks fourth at 11.98 aps. USC’s Raquel Lázaro has the highest assists average among freshmen in the country and ranks 14th among all players with 11.43 aps.
• The Pac-12 is also home to four of the top-25 attack producers in the country with Arizona’s Kendra Dahlke leading all Pac-12 student-athletes with 4.95 kills per set, which is good enough for fifth in the nation. Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer ranks sixth (4.85), and USC’s Brooke Botkin (4.44) and Khalia Lanier (4.34) are 16th and 22nd, respectively.
• The Pac-12 also boasts four of the most high-powered offenses in the country with Stanford (15.02) and Oregon (14.74) ranking third and sixth in the country, respectively, in kills per set. Additionally, USC (14.18) is 15th and Arizona (14.04) is 23rd.
• Washington State is looking to continue to boost its postseason resume and make a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament, a feat it has not accomplished since 2000-02. The Cougs, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, have already surpassed its Pac-12 win total from all of last season (6) and its overall win total from 2017 (18), logging its 19th victory with two weeks left in the regular season. WSU is third in the Conference before hosting the Bay Area teams, which would be its highest finish since 2002 if it stays in that position.\
• Arizona’s Dave Rubio joined an elite company after claiming his 500th victory while at Tucson on Sept. 14. In his 27th season at the Wildcat helm, he is only the second head coach in Pac-12 history to reach the milestone. Rubio has led his squad to more league and overall wins than all of last season when the Wildcats were 11-18 and 5-15 in the Pac-12.
• Pac-12 Champion Stanford recorded its 18th-consecutive 20-win season with its victory over UCLA on Oct. 28. The Cardinal have won 22 in a row, as of Oct. 29. Going a perfect 10-0 to start league, making it the first time since 1997 and 1998 that the Cardinal has had back-to-back seasons of 10-0 starts in league play.
• CALIFORNIA defeated its second ranked opponent in three tries, taking down the-No. 24 Utah on Oct. 7 and then-No. 21 Washington State on Oct. 14 marking the first time Cal has taken down two ranked conference opponents in the same season since 2016. The Bears have more Pac-12 wins and total wins from last year (6 Pac-12, 14 overall).
• ARIZONA STATE broke a lengthy losing streak, picking up its first Pac-12 win since 2016 and the first under head coach Sanja Tomasevic on Sept. 23 over then-No. 12 Oregon. The win over the Ducks was the first over a ranked team since 2016 and was also the first sweep of UO since 2005. They notched a second sweep over a top-15 opponent this season with a win over No. 15 Washington, the most wins over a ranked opponent for the Sun Devils since 2015. It was ASU’s first win over Washington since Nov. 21, 2012 and the first sweep of the Huskies since Sept. 22, 2000. The Sun Devils have surpassed their overall win total from all of last season.
• Pac-12 teams opened the season in dominant fashion, going 25-5 (.833) in the first weekend of play. League teams have posted a 385-91 (.809) record in the opening week of play dating back to 2002.

NCAA TOP 10 REVEAL 
• On Sunday, Nov. 4, the NCAA revealed its top-10 seeds for the NCAA Tournament if the season ended on Wednesday, Oct. 31, using the selection criteria and results through that date. STANFORD was picked the No. 2 overall seed while USC would be the No. 7 seed.
• The reveal is based on the criteria used to select and seed the 64 teams for the Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship and includes strength of schedule, Rating Percentage Index, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, and significant wins and losses. The announcement is part of the continued team evaluations that will culminate with the final bracket, revealed during the selection show on Sunday, November 25, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

PAC-12 VOLLEYBALL BROADCASTS
• In 2018, 91 Pac-12 regular-season volleyball matches will be televised this season, by far the most of any conference in the nation. Of those, 88 appear on the Pac-12 Networks beginning with the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge Friday, Aug. 31 doubleheader featuring Colorado and Washington taking on Illinois and Iowa.
• ESPN will also televise three Pac-12 matches, including the UCLA-USC rivalry matchup on Wednesday, Sept. 19 on ESPNU. ESPN2 will be the home of two Pac-12 matches: USC at STANFORD on Friday, Sept. 28 and Stanford at OREGON on Sunday, Oct. 21.
• For a full television schedule, visit pac-12.com.

STANDINGS (as of 11/12/18)

PAC-12 VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

THIS WEEK:
Offensive: Samantha Drechsel, WASH
Defensive: Avie Niece, WASH
Freshman: Holly Campbell, STAN

ALSO NOMINATED:
Offensive: Kendra Dahlke, ARIZ; Alexa Smith, COLO; Taylor Borup, ORE; Jenna Gray, STAN; Emily Baptista, USC; Dani Drews, UTAH; McKenna Woodford, WSU.
Defensive: Naghede Abu, COLO; Brooke Nuneviller, ORE; Holly Campbell, STAN; Victoria Garrick, USC; Brianna Doehrmann, UTAH; Alexis Dirige, WSU.
Freshman: Jenna Ewert, COLO; Brooke Nuneviller, ORE; Raquel Lázaro, USC; Megan Yett, UTAH; Ella May Powell, WASH.

2018 PAC-12 VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NATIONAL HONORS

AVCA National Player of the Week:
Sep. 11 - Kathryn Plummer, Stanford
Oct. 9 - Taylor Borup, Oregon

ESPNW Player of the Year Watch: 
Kathryn Plummer keeps elevating
Khalia Lanier hitting and knitting her way to Stanford showdown
After rocky introduction, Ronika Stone is crushing it at Oregon
Stanford setter Jenna Gray is no joke

Senior CLASS Award Nominees: 
Alexa Smith, COLO
Tami Alade, STAN

Senior CLASS Award Finalists:
Tami Alade, STAN

IN THE PRESEASON

Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll & All-Pac-12 Team | AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll

2018-19 IN A NUTSHELL

• Stanford returns as the defending Pac-12 Champion, also advancing to the NCAA semifinal. The Cardinal were also picked to win the 2018 league crown, followed by USC in second and Oregon in third. For a complete listing of the poll, click on the link below.
• Seven AVCA All-Americans return from last year, including 2017 AVCA National Player of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer. Four of the seven are first team honorees and all are juniors, including USC’s Lanier, and Cardinal teammates Morgan Hentz and Jenna Gray. Plummer became the first player to win the national player of the year honor a year after garnering the AVCA National Freshman of the Year award.
• Nine of the 14 players named to the 2017 All-Pac-12 team return for 2018, including Stanford’s Morgan Hentz, the Pac-12 Libero of the Year last year, and Jenna Gray, the 2017 Pac-12 Setter of the Year.
• The Pac-12 welcomes new coaches to the sidelines, including California mentor Jennifer Dorr and USC’s Brent Crouch. Dorr has been with the Golden Bears program since 2009 when she joined the squad as the director of operations before moving to the role of assistant coach in 2011. Crouch was named the 2016 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year while with Portland.
• Pac-12 volleyball continues to attract marquee student-athletes. Five Pac-12 teams landed at least one Volleyball Magazine FAB 50 recruit with Oregon and UCLA pacing the league with four each. Thirteen named to the list will be donning a Pac-12 uniform this season.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

• The Pac-12 has captured seven of the last 15 NCAA crowns (2016- Stanford, 2011 - UCLA, 2005 - Washington, 2004 - Stanford, 2003 - USC, 2002 - USC, 2001 - Stanford) and 15 NCAA titles overall.
• The current group of Pac-12 volleyball coaches finished the 2015 season with over 5,000 Division I victories to its credit, having compiled 5,040 wins in a combined 230 years of head coaching experience. That averages out to nearly 22 wins a season for each coach per season.
• In addition, these coaches have guided NCAA Division I teams to 38 NCAA semifinal appearances and eight NCAA titles. In the last 14 years, seven different coaches have been named the ASICS/Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year and/or the AVCA Coach of the Year - Arizona’s David Rubio (2001 ASICS), California’s Rich Feller (2007 ASICS, 2010 ASICS and AVCA), Stanford’s John Dunning (2001 AVCA), UCLA’s Mike Sealy (2011 AVCA), USC’s Mick Haley (2003 AVCA, 2015 AVCA), Washington’s Jim McLaughlin (2004 ASICS and AVCA), and UCLA’s Andy Banachowski (2006 ASICS and AVCA).
• The Pac-12 has had 10 or more All-Americans selections in seven of the last 10 years. This year, eight were named to the AVCA All-America squad, USC’s Samantha Bricio and Washington’s Lianna Sybeldon were named to the first team, Stanford had a pair of second-team selections in Hayley Hodson and Merete Lutz, with USC’s Alicia Ogoms joining them. On the third team, Stanford’s Madi Bugg and Brittany Howard, and UCLA’s Taylor Formico earned spots. Ten former Pac-12 players have earned All-America honors four times, while 18 players in all have earned All-American honors three times.
• Since 1990, Pac-12 players garnered AVCA Player of the Year honors 14 times, including the five of the last six - CAL’s Carli Lloyd (2010), USC’s Alex Jupiter (2011), ORE’s Alaina Bergsma (2012), WASH’s Krista Vansant (2013) and the latest honoree in USC’s Samantha Bricio. The NCAA Honda Sports Award honor has been bestowed upon a Pac-12 volleyball player 13 times, including Vansant in 2013.