Huskies Look To Last In NCAA Bubble
THIS WEEK IN HUSKY VOLLEYBALL
2020 NCAA Volleyball Championship – Omaha, Neb.
Opening Rounds Quadrant
First Round, Apr. 14
(6) Washington, bye
Towson vs. Dayton, 12:30pm PT | ESPN3
Second Round, Apr. 15
(6) Washington vs. Towson/Dayton winner, 12:30pm PT | ESPN3 | Live Stats
SEATTLE - The Huskies are in the Omaha bubble and looking to keep it that way. The NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships get underway this Wednesday, Apr. 14, with the sixth-seeded Huskies one of 16 teams to have a first round bye. The Dawgs will start their run in the second round, on Thursday, Apr. 15, against the winner of the first round match between Towson and Dayton.
Due to Covid-19 protocols, the entire volleyball championship is being held in Omaha, Nebraska. The venue is the CHI Health Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena in Nebraska. Washington's second round match-up will be streamed live online on ESPN3, with a 12:30 p.m. Pacific first serve.
Following the second round, the regional semifinals will be held on Apr. 18, the regional finals on Apr. 19, and then the Final Four will take place on Apr. 22 with the championship match on Apr. 24.
This will be Washington's 19th-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, which is now the fifth-longest active streak in the NCAA and the longest in the Pac-12. In the most recent tournament, in December of 2019, the Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight before falling at No. 1 Baylor. The Dawgs have advanced to at least the Round of 16 in seven of the past eight years.
The Huskies won the Pac-12 title for the sixth time in program history, and the third time under sixth-year Head Coach Keegan Cook. Ella May Powell was named Pac-12 Setter of the Year, while Powell, Samantha Drechsel, and Claire Hoffman were all named All-Pac-12, with Lauren Sanders and Marin Grote earning honorable meniton.
Towson has played just six matches but won them all to earn the Colonial Athletic Association auto bid for the second year in a row. In 2019, Towson had an NCAA opening round 3-2 win over American and then lost to Penn State in round two. Freshman Nina Cajic was selected to both the First Team All-CAA and a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Sophomore Lydia Wiers and junior Emily Jarome were selected Second Team All-CAA. Wiers had 13 kills and hit .619 in the Colonial tourney title match to get Towson to Omaha.
The Flyers of Dayton (13-1) won the Atlantic 10 Championship for the 14th time and third-straight. In 2019 Dayton fell in the NCAA first round to Marquette and in 2018 they lost in round one to Louisville. Dayton's only loss was in five sets to Saint Louis in its first match of the spring. The Flyers hit .292 and held opponents to just .127. Junior outside hitter Jamie Peterson was named AVCA Midwest Region Player of the Year for the second-straight year, and was the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. She averages 4.33 kills per set and is fifth in the NCAA with 0.61 aces per set while hitting .306. Senior Bridget Doherty was All-Region and the A-10 Setter of the Year with 10.38 assists per set. The Huskies faced Dayton in 2018, and had a very tough five set win over the Flyers on a neutral court in Pittsburgh.