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Pac-12 Women's Volleyball Weekly Release - Sept. 22, 2021

by Pac-12 Conference
Sep 22, 2021
Evan Wang

Schedule // Standings // Statistics // NCAA Statistics

PAC-12 PLAY IS HERE

  • A dozen matches, highlighted by three ranked clashes, will ring in the start of Pac-12 Women's Volleyball play this week, with all 12 set to be televised.
  • Wednesday's five Pac-12 openers will be capped by No. 6 WASHINGTON hosting No. 15 UTAH at 8 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
  • Friday's lone contest will feature No. 15 UTAH visiting rival No. 24 COLORADO at 6 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Mountain.
  • On Sunday, No. 19 UCLA travels to No. 14 STANFORD at 2 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks.

LAST WEEK

  • Pac-12 programs combined to go 18-7 last week to close non-conference play at 78-36 (.684), currently fourth-best among all leagues (ACC .790, Big 12 .745, Big Ten .712).
  • With Stanford's victory over then-No. 6 Nebraska last Tuesday, the Pac-12 moved to a combined 6-12 versus Top 25 opponents and 13-17 against Power 5 foes in non-league play in 2021.
  • The Cardinal went 3-3 in both categories (Top 25 & Power 5) during a gauntlet non-conference slate with those six matches in succession from Aug. 31-Sept. 19.

CU ROLLING

  • At 9-0, COLORADO is off to its best start in program history after going perfect in non-conference play for the first time. The Buffaloes are currently 1-of-9 undefeated programs remaining in NCAA Division I.
  • Oregon (9-1), UCLA (7-1) and Washington (7-1) are among 24 one-loss teams.

SIX STILL IN AVCA TOP 25

  • Six Pac-12 women’s volleyball teams are ranked in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Top 25 revealed on Sept. 20. The Conference’s six programs in the poll are tied with the Big Ten for the most among all leagues.
  • No. 6 Washington, No. 13 Oregon, No. 14 Stanford, No. 15 Utah, No. 19 UCLA, No. 24 Colorado.

PRESEASON POLL REVISIT

  • As league play commences, a reminder of the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll order:
    1. Washington (11)
    2. UCLA
    3. Oregon
    4. Stanford (1)
    5. Washington State
    6. USC
    7. Utah
    8. Arizona
    9. Colorado
    10. California
    11. Arizona State
    12. Oregon State

OLYMPIANS MADE HERE

  • Four Pac-12 volleyball alumnae were Olympians at the recently concluded Summer Games in Tokyo and three were gold medalists.
  • Four-time All-American and 2010 Pac-10 Player of the Year Alix Klineman (STANFORD) won a beach volleyball gold medal for the United States playing with April Ross (USC), a three-time All-American and the 2003 Pac-10 Player of the Year.
  • Sarah Sponcil, who was an AVCA All-America honorable mention selection at UCLA in 2017, was also a beach volleyball Olympian along with USC's Kelly Claes. Claes did not play indoor volleyball during her collegiate career.
  • STANFORD's Foluke Akinradewo, a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year (2007 and 2008), 2007 AVCA Player of the Year and four-time All-American, helped Team USA take home an Olympic indoor gold medal for the first time. Fellow Cardinal Kathryn Plummer, herself a two-time AVCA Player of the Year (2017 and 2018) was an alternate on that U.S. roster. 
  • WASHINGTON's Tamari Miyashiro was an assistant coach of UCLA alumnus Karch Kiraly for Team USA, and legendary UCLA softball head coach Sue Enquist was also on staff as a consultant.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

  • Pac-12 institutions have won 17 of the 40 all-time NCAA championships in women’s volleyball, five more than the next closest conference, and four of the past 10.
  • The Conference has had at least five teams earn NCAA Tournament bids in 22 consecutive seasons and boasts eight postseason berths in five of the past eight tournaments.
  • The Pac-12 has had 10 or more first, second and third-team All-America selections in 12 of the last 16 seasons.
  • Eleven former Pac-12 players have earned first, second or third-team All-America honors four times, while 26 players have earned All-America honors three times, with Dani Drews garnering her third nod this past spring.
  • Since 1990, Pac-12 players garnered AVCA Player of the Year honors 15 times, including the seven of the last 11 - CALIFORNIA’s Carli Lloyd (2010), USC’s Alex Jupiter (2011), OREGON’s Alaina Bergsma (2012), WASHINGTON’s Krista Vansant (2013), USC’s Samantha Bricio (2015) and STANFORD’s Kathryn Plummer (2017 and 2018).
  • The Honda Sports Award for volleyball has been bestowed upon a Pac-12 athlete 21 times in its 45 years of existence, including most recently STANFORD’s Jenna Gray in 2019.

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