Huskies Set For Another Ranked Road Challenge
THIS WEEK IN HUSKY VOLLEYBALL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
#9 Washington at #22 Pepperdine • 7:00 pm
Malibu, Calif. • Firestone Fieldhouse
Live stream on WCCSPorts.com | Live Stats
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
#9 Washington vs. Cal Poly • 6:00 pm
Malibu, Calif. • Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Stats
SEATTLE -- Washington Volleyball's final road week of the nonconference season takes it to Malibu, where the Huskies have the distinction once again of taking on a talented team playing its home opener against the Dawgs. The Huskies (3-1) will go against 22nd-ranked Pepperdine (6-0) at the Waves' home court, Firestone Fieldhouse, this Friday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. One day later, UW will take on Cal Poly at 6 p.m. also at Pepperdine. Friday's match will be live streamed however Saturday's will not be available.
The Huskies, ranked ninth in the latest AVCA poll, will look for their first top-25 win of the season on Friday. Last week the Huskies had wins over Illinois and Iowa at Illinois, and posted their highest attack percentage in six years in the win against the Hawkeyes, hitting .495. Claire Hoffman earned tournament MVP honors while Marin Grote and Ella May Powell were also All-Tournament Team selections.
This is the last week on the road for the Dawgs before their home debut, next Thursday and Friday, Sept. 16-17.
Washington last made the trip to Malibu in 2017, earning a tournament title with wins over Pepperdine, Missouri State, and Wyoming. Pepperdine made the NCAA Second Round in the 2021 spring season, and is off to a 6-0 start thus far, including five set road victories over Georgia and UC Santa Barbara. Pepperdine is hitting .268 and its opponents have hit .223 thus far. Rachel Ahrens was a All-America honorable mention last season and is leading the Waves this year with 4.21 kills per set, plus nearly one ace per set at 0.96. Middle blocker Meg Brown is also averaging 2.67 kills per set and hitting .366 while freshman Grace Chillingworth adds 2.83 kills per set. Setter Isabel Zelaya is posting 10.83 assists per set.
Cal Poly is back in action for the first time since 2019 after the Big West conference sat out the 2020-21 season due to Covid-19. The Mustangs are 2-5 thus far but three of those losses have come against Top-25 opponents in No. 13 Louisville, No. 19 Utah, and No. 22 San Diego. Cal Poly had a close 2-3 loss to Texas A&M and has wins over Utah Valley and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The Mustangs are hitting .193 and allowing a .229 mark. Three players are averaging between 2.61 and 2.78 kills per set: Jamie Stivers, Tommi Stockham, and Meredith Phillips. Libero Peyton Dueck is posting 4.35 digs per set. The Huskies last faced Cal Poly in 2017 at home and earned a 3-0 win.