The Pursuit: Pac-12 2021

TRACKING THE PAC The Race to Pac-12 Conference Title

PROSPECTIVE: OCTOBER 12, 2021

It's the 2021 season and almost 2 months into the D1 NCAA Women's Volleyball season, particularly in the Pac-12 Conference we are seeing an incredible race for the top develop. Any of the conference's coaches will tell you, "It's up in the air." One thing is certain-- there are going to be pugilistic brawls, 5-set tiebreaks, phenomenal individual performances and superb team performances. The Washington Huskies' Head Coach, Keegan Cook asked if I'd be interested in documenting his team's journey up until their rivalry matchup with Oregon on November 21st, 2021 in Seattle, however, tracking the happenings in the conference matches has inspired me to track the top 5 performing teams until the final ball drops in conference play-- maybe even farther. Saddle up, buckle down and grab on tight for the Pac-12 ride!

Standings as of October 11, 2021

AVCA Poll, 10/11/21: Pac-12 Conference Representation

#10 - Washington (Previous Week #11, +1)
#13 - Oregon (Previous Week #14, +1)
#14 - UCLA (Previous Week #16, +2)
#17 - Utah (Previous Week #15, -2)
#18 - Stanford (Previous Week #17, -1)
#25 - Washington St. (Previous Week NR, - )
RV - Coloarado

Pac-12 Player of the Week, October 11, 2021: Oregon OH, Brooke Nuneviller

October 14, 2021

The Huskies and Ducks now boast the same record in Pac-12 Conference play at 5-2 behind the play of Claire Hoffman and Marin Grote. Also making some key plays in the tail end of the match were OH/DS Shannon Crenshaw.

October 15, 2021

Post-match Interview with Shannon Crenshaw, Ella May Powell and Head Coach, Keegan Cook in a #ReverseSweep vs. No. 13 Oregon.

October 17, 2021: The Lady Dawgs Take It to the Beavers

the 10th-ranked Huskies were able to breathe easy for the first time in Pac-12 play, rolling to their first 3-0 sweep in a month, 25-19, 25-15, 25-14, over Oregon State at Gill Coliseum. The Huskies (13-3, 6-2 Pac-12) hit a scorching .512 as a team in getting their sixth-straight win and finishing a challenging 4-0 road trip.

October 18, 2021: AVCA Poll

Six PAC-12 teams in the AVCA Top 25 the week of 10/18/21:

#10 Washington - Previous Week #10, NC
#15 Stanford - Previous Week #18, +3
#16 Oregon - Previous Week #13, -3
#17 UCLA Previous Week #14, -3
#18 Utah - Previous Week #17, -1
#22 Washington St. - Previous Week #25, +3

October 18, 2021: Emoni Bush Receives Freshman of the Week Honors

After hitting .500 in consecutive matches, Emoni Bush was a shoo-in for Pac-12 Freshman of the Week this week. The outside hitter from Campbell River, Canada earned her first such honor this afternoon.

October 18, 2021: Pac-12 Player of the Week Honorees

October 22, 2021: Cal @ #10 Washington

All-American outside hitters Samantha Drechsel and Claire Hoffman both put on an offensive show tonight as the No. 10 Huskies held off a challenge from California and posted a 25-23, 20-25, 25-12, 25-23 win for their seventh victory in a row.

Sunday, October 24th, 2021: #15 Stanford @ #10 Washington

The 10th-ranked Huskies put together one of their best start-to-finish performances at the right time against 15th-ranked Stanford, sweeping the Cardinal 25-22, 25-23, 25-17 in front of a season-high 3,186 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena.

October 25, 2021: AVCA Poll

Six PAC-12 teams in the AVCA Top 25 the week of 10/25/21

#8 Washington - Previous Week #10, +2
#15 Stanford - Previous Week #15, NC
#16 UCLA - Previous Week #17, +1
#17 Oregon - Previous Week #16, -1
#19 Utah - Previous Week #18, -1
#22 Washington St. - Previous Week #22, NC

October 25, 2021: Pac-12 Player of the Week Honorees

Episode 119: USC Head Coach, Brad Keller, October 28, 2021

Friday, October 29th, 2021

The win is the ninth in a row for the Huskies and fifth-straight against USC, but the first in the Galen Center after the last four matches in the series all came in Seattle. Washington will now head to UCLA for a first-place showdown Sunday against the Bruins, who are tied with UW at 9-2.

Four Bruins – graduates Mac May and Shelby Martin, senior Zoe Fleck and freshman Charitie Luper – tallied double-doubles in UCLA's five-set victory over the Cougars (13-8, 7-4 Pac-12) on Friday night. UCLA recorded a season-high 73 kills, tied for second-most by a Pac-12 team in a match this season. While holding the Cougars to a match-low .121 hitting percentage in the fourth set, UCLA cruised at a .429 hitting percentage for 15 kills to force a fifth set.

Sunday, October 31st, 2021

It's the second meeting of the year with the Huskies taking the first duel in a 5-set thriller in Seattle over the then-15th ranked UCLA Bruins, 21-25, 21-25, 25-13, 27-25, 15-12. By far it has been one of the most epic matchups in the 2021 NCAA D1 Women's Volleyball season being that Washington snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a reverse sweep of the Bruins. Will the Huskies go for a repeat performance or will the Bruins have revenge in mind? Find out at 4:00pm PDT on ESPNU!

Alone at the Top! No. 16 UCLA Sweeps No. 8 Washington Decisively

No. 16 UCLA (17-3, 10-2 Pac-12) held the Huskies (16-4, 9-3 Pac-12) to a season-low .118 hitting percentage in the victory while hitting a collective .330 in the match, putting itself atop Washington for sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 standings after the sweep victory in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

November 1st, 2021: AVCA Division I Poll

Six PAC-12 teams in the AVCA Top 25 the week of 11/01/21

#12 Washington - Previous Week #8, -4
#13 UCLA - Previous Week #16, +1
#16 Utah - Previous Week #19, +3
#18 Oregon - Previous Week #17, -1
#19 Stanford - Previous Week #15, -4
#21 Washington St. - Previous Week #22, +1
Receiving Votes: Arizona St. (30)

November 3rd, 2021: College Volleyball Weekly, Pac-12 Edition, featuring UCLA's Mac May and Zoe Fleck

AVCA D1 Women's Poll, November 8th, 2021

There's a new #1 in town. And they mean BUSINESS!

No. 12 UCLA - Previous Week No. 13, +1
No. 13 Washington - Previous Week No. 12, -1
No. 16 Utah - Previous Week No. 16, NC
No. 17 Oregon - Previous Week No. 18, +1
No. 20 Stanford - Previous Week No. 19, -1
No. 21 Washington St. - Previous Week, No. 21, NC
Receiving Votes: Arizona St. (9)

Viral Volley Podcast: Pac-12 Race Edition with Oregon Head Coach, Matt Ulmer - November 8th, 2021:

Pac-12 Women's Volleyball Weekly Awards, November 8th, 2021

It's an All-Pacific Northwest week! Magda Jehlarova of Washington St. receives ANOTHER Defensive of Player of the Week honor!

Friday, November 12th, 2021

The No. 17 Oregon volleyball team extended its winning streak to four matches and completed a season sweep of USC on Friday with a five-set victory in Matthew Knight Arena.

Post-Match Interview with JR OH, Brooke Nuneviller after #17 Oregon fends off USC in a 5-set thriller.

Standings after tonight's play...

Saturday November 13th, 2021

No. 20 Stanford celebrated Senior Night with a 25-19, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22 win over No. 21 Washington State, Saturday, at Maples Pavilion. Stanford (14-10, 9-7 Pac-12) swept the season series against Washington State (17-9, 11-5 Pac-12), holding the Cougars to a .145 attack percentage. The Cardinal improves to 66-4 all-time against Washington State.

No. 21 Stanford Defeats No. 22 WSU

Sunday, November 14th, 2021

This time Oregon stayed aggressive throughout and completed the first sweep by any UCLA opponent this season, ending the Bruins' seven-match win streak and turning the tables after the UO loss in Los Angeles on Oct. 22.

No. 17 Oregon Sweeps No. 12 UCLA

Post Match Interview with Karson Bacon after a 3-0 sweep of #12 UCLA

Monday, November 15th, 2021

AVCA D1 Coaches' Poll

Pac-12 Women's Players of the Week

November 17th, 2021

College Volleyball Weekly: Pac-12 Race Edition | Keegan Cook, Head Coach | Claire Hoffman, Jr OH | Sam Drechsel, Sr Opp

(Above) As we move into the final 2 weeks of the season the No. 16 Oregon Ducks (2nd-T in Pac-12 Conference) square off against No. 22 Washington St. and the No. 12 Washington Huskies in Washington. See the interviews with BOTH Washington and Oregon before they scrap on Sunday!

Head Coach, Matt Ullmer | So Middle Blocker, Karson Bacon | Sr OH, Brooke Nuneviller

November 18th, 2021

No. 22 Washington State Rises in Five vs. No. 16 Oregon, 3-2, to a 2-Way Tie for 2nd Place in the Pac-12

No. 22 Washington State opened its final homestand with a five-set win (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 20-25, 15-12) over visiting No. 16 Oregon at Bohler Gym Thursday evening.

Cougars Take Five-Set Thriller From No. 16 Oregon

No. 17 Utah Sweeps Cal to Move Into 3rd in the Pac-12

No. 17 Utah volleyball cruised past California on Thursday night, downing the Golden Bears in straight sets (25-14, 25-9, 25-13) in the dominant victory at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Now the winners of four-straight matches and seven of its last eight, Utah improved to 19-7 overall this season and 12-5 in Pac-12 play.

November 19th, 2021

Bruins Take Charge vs. Sun Devils

LOS ANGELES – No. 13 UCLA avenged its loss to Arizona State earlier this season with a straight-set, 3-0 victory over the Sun Devils Friday evening to remain unbeaten at home in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

Bruins Strong in 3-0 Win Over ASU

Huskies Sweep Oregon St. with Offensive Assault

SEATTLE – The Husky offense remained hot with All-American Ella May Powell putting up 41 assists and leading the Dawgs to a .345 attack percentage in a hard-fought sweep of Oregon State. Powell's connection with her pin hitters clicked all night, as Samantha Drechsel and Shannon Crenshaw had 15 kills apiece, and Emoni Bush added 13 more in the 27-25, 25-20, 25-16 win in front of 1,984 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena.

Huskies Sweep Beavers

Standings as of November 20th, 2021

November 21st, 2021

UCLA's Mac May Deals EIGHT Service Aces in 3-Set Sweep of Arizona

No. 13 UCLA (22-4, 15-3 Pac-12) GOT their ninth home victory of the season IN A SWEEP, 25-22, 25-14, 26-24.MAC MAY'S career-high eighth service acES against the Wildcats (15-14, 7-11 Pac-12) ARE tied for second-most in the NCAA in a three-set match this season.

UCLA Aces its Way to Sweep of Arizona

Senior Night Sweep of OSU by WSU

Drechsel Leads Husky Sweeping Of No. 16 Ducks

The Huskies dominated the first two sets and then used a late run to break open the third for a 25-12, 25-14, 25-21 win over the Ducks in front of 2,570 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena.

November 22, 2021

AVCA D1 Women's Poll

PAC-12 Women's Players of the Week

November 23rd, 2021

Ducks Sweep on Senior Night

The Ducks won for the sixth time in eight matches, and finished out the regular season 11-4 in Matthew Knight Arena after the 25-13, 25-18, 25-14 sweep of Arizona. BROOKE NUNEVILLER SCORCHES AGAIN WITH 16k, .419 HITTING AND 4 ACES.

Ducks Sweep the Wildcats

November 24th, 2021

UCLA Dominates Cal, 3-0

LOS ANGELES – Mac May totaled 23 points off a match-high 17 kills and six service aces as the No. 13-ranked UCLA women's volleyball team defeated Cal 3-0 on Wednesday afternoon in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

Utes Take it to the Cougars

SALT LAKE CITY – No. 17 Utah volleyball began its final week of the regular season in fashion Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center, downing the No. 21-ranked Washington State Cougars in straight sets (25-22, 25-18, 25-23). Led by Dani Drews' 21 kills, which was just one shy of tying her own program record for a three-set match, Utah improved to 20-8 overall and 13-6 in Pac-12 play.

No. 17 Utah Takes Down No. 21 WSU

BOULDER, Colo. – The Huskies set themselves up for a chance at a Pac-12 title in the regular season finale on Saturday, overcoming a tough test from Colorado today at the CU Events Center. 12th-ranked Washington (23-4, 16-3 Pac-12) overcame a 19-23 third set deficit to win 26-24 to go in front two sets to one, and the Huskies then closed out the victory in set four.

Dawgs Show Toughness

Current Pac-12 Standings

November 26th, 2021

USC Women’s Volleyball Knocks Off No. 13 UCLA in Five-Set Thriller

LOS ANGELES – The USC women's volleyball team (15-15, 10-10 Pac-12) concluded the regular season with a thrilling five-set win (22-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10) over crosstown rival No. 13 UCLA (23-5, 16-4 Pac-12) at Galen Center on Friday, Nov. 26.

Standings as of 11/26/21...

What to watch on Saturday, November 27th...

Washington has the best record, however as rivalry matchups can go as we discovered last night in No. 13 UCLA at USC, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN! The Huskies close out the regular season at home vs. rival No. 21 Washington St.

Utah hosts Colorado and Stanford travels to Cal in another rivalry matchup. Both Utah and Stanford need to finish off on strong notes in order to assure their berths into the NCAA Tournament. Let's just say there could be a bunch of 13-7 teams in the Pac-12 conference...

November 27th, 2021

Huskies Are Pac-12 Champions For Seventh Time

The 12th-ranked Huskies (24-4, 17-3 Pac-12) defeated 21st-ranked Washington State in the Boeing Apple Cup Series to finish the regular season alone atop the Pac-12 with a 17-3 record, securing the program's seventh Pac-12 title. It's the second Pac-12 title of the calendar year for the Dawgs, who won the 2020 conference title in the spring of 2021, after it was delayed due to the pandemic.

No. 17 Utah Volleyball Picks Up Senior Day Win Over Colorado

SALT LAKE CITY – Led by senior standout Dani Drews' 28 kills, the No. 17-ranked Utah volleyball team picked up a four-set victory (25-19, 19-25, 25-12, 25-22) over Colorado on senior day at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. With the win, Utah finished the regular season 21-8 overall and 14-6 in Pac-12 play, which concluded a third-place finish in the conference standings.

Stanford finishes Pac-12 play on five-match win streak

BERKELEY, Calif. – No. 18 Stanford hit .418 as a team in a 25-12, 25-16, 25-17 sweep over California, Saturday, in the Big Spike at Haas Pavilion. The Cardinal (18-10) finishes Pac-12 play at 13-7, tying Oregon and Washington State for fourth place. Stanford improves to 80-12 all-time against Cal (7-24, 0-20 Pac-12).

Final Pac-12 Standings at Conclusion of Conference Play

Washington receives the automatic berth by nature of winning the Pac-12 Conference regular season title, and UCLA, Utah, Oregon, Stanford and Washington St. appear to have really good chances in receiving NCAA berths, however USC with a .500 overall and conference record appear to be sitting on the fence. The NCAA Selection Committee is going to have to make a judgement call on the fate of the Women of Troy.

NCAA DI women's volleyball tournament: Selection show date, time, how to watch

November 28th, 2021

NCAA Tournament Bracket Determined

View NCAA Bracket

November 29th, 20221

Pac-12 Women's Volleyball Weekly Awards - Nov. 29, 2021

Pac-12 announces 2021 women's volleyball postseason honors

December 2nd, 2021

Pac 12 Libero of the Year, Zoe Fleck of UCLA on College Volleyball Weekly: Tracking the PAC

Oregon falls to Kansas, 3-0 in opening round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament

OMAHA, Neb. – Brooke Nuneviller and Taylor Borup combined for 27 kills but No. 19 Oregon suffered a straight-set loss to Kansas in Thursday's first-round match of the NCAA Tournament. With the result, the Ducks finish the season with a 22-9 record and their fourth NCAA appearance in the past five years.

Season Ends vs Kansas in NCAA First Round

Cougs bring out the brooms to open postseason play

Washington State (20-11) came up with a sweep of Northern Colorado (24-7) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus. The win pushed WSU into the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2018 when the Cougs advanced to the sweet 16.

Friday, December 3rd, 2021

Washington St. Volleyball's road ends in Waco

WACO, Texas – Taking on the fifth-seeded Baylor Bears (22-5), Washington State (20-12) came up short in its bid to keep its postseason alive as the Cougs fell in three to end their run Friday night in Waco, Texas. Set scores from the match were: 27-25, 25-21, 25-20 in favor of the Bears.

Stanford Breaks Iowa St., 3-1

MINNEAPOLIS – Led by Caitie Baird and Kendall Kipp, No. 18 Stanford defeated Iowa State, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 25-17, Friday, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Maturi Pavilion.

UCLA Secures 3-0 Victory over Fairfield in NCAA First Round

LOS ANGELES – Mac May led the No. 13 seed UCLA women's volleyball team with 21 kills Friday evening to help the Bruins to a tight 3-0 victory over Fairfield in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

UCLA Secures 3-0 Victory over Fairfield

Utah Volleyball Advances, Downs Utah Valley In NCAA Tournament Opener

PROVO, Utah – The Utah volleyball team began its NCAA Tournament run Friday night with a first-round victory over Utah Valley in four sets (25-16, 22-25, 25-19, 25-11)

Huskies Roll In NCAA Opener, Will Host Hawaii

SEATTLE – Washington Volleyball has been a part of twenty consecutive NCAA tournaments, and twenty times the Huskies have advanced at least to round two. That streak continued tonight as the 15th-seeded Huskies swept Ivy League champs Brown, 25-15, 25-13, 25-20, in front of 2,973 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena in the first round of the championships.

Huskies Roll In NCAA Opener, Will Host Hawaii

Saturday, December 4th, 2021

The Road to the NCAA Tourney Ends for Utah and Stanford

Utah Falls to #11 BYU in 4-set Battle

Stanford Falls at Minnesota

SEATTLE – In their final match in Alaska Airlines Arena, fifth-year seniors Lauren Sanders, Samantha Drechsel, and Emma Calle earned the 118th win of their careers, more than any other class of Dawgs in school history. Win No. 118 propelled the 15th-seeded Huskies back into the Round of 16 of the NCAA Championships for the fourth year in a row, the ninth time in 10 seasons, and the 16th time in program history.

Huskies Into Sweet 16 For Ninth Time In 10 Years

December 7th, 2021

AVCA All Region Teams: Pac-12 Recipients

Congratulations to ALL the recipients, to the AVCA All-Region team members, particularly to those who came on "College Volleyball Weekly: Pac-12 Edition," Sam Drechsel (Washington), Claire Hoffman (Washington), Brooke Nuneviller & Player of the Year (Oregon), Ella May Powell (Washington), Karson Bacon (Oregon), Zoe Fleck (UCLA), Mac May UCLA), and Pacific North Region Coach of the Year, Keegan Cook (Washington)!

Pacific North Region

Pacific South Region

December 8th, 2021

MADISON, Wis. – No. 13 seed UCLA (25-5, 16-4 Pac-12) will face No. 4 seed Wisconsin (27-3, 17-3 Big Ten) in the UW Field House for the Regional Semifinals on Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. PT. The contest, a rematch from the 2019 Second Round also in Madison, Wis., will be televised on ESPNU.

No. 13 Seed UCLA to Face No. 4 Seed Wisconsin in Sweet 16

SEATTLE -- For the first time since the turn of the century, the Husky volleyball team is on its way to Austin, Texas. Into the NCAA Round of 16 for the ninth time in 10 seasons, the 15th-seeded Huskies will look to take down No. 2-seed Texas to get to a third-straight Elite Eight.

Huskies Make First Trip To Austin In 21 Years For Round Of 16

Appreciate