Just as football in the Pacific-10 Conference begins to heat up, volleyball is doing the same. And what once was a sure thing, is no more.
With two crucial wins, including one against conference rival and hated foe California, Stanford improved to 10-1 in conference play and 18-2 overall. More importantly, the conference win bumped the Cardinal a half-game ahead of USC (15-2, 9-1) for the conference lead after the Trojans lost to Arizona. The Cardinal easily defeated the Golden Bears (7-12, 2-9), sweeping the match in only 80 minutes.
“It’s good to know that we have good defense to fall back on,” Stanford freshman Ogonna Nnamani told the Stanford Daily. “It changes the momentum of the game and it gets people going and excited in the match.”
As for the No. 5 Trojans, a tough loss to Arizona slid them back a step, but they came back strong Friday at Arizona State. A three-game loss shocked the women of Troy, but they returned to play and dominated Arizona State in another sweep.
“We met a lot (Thursday) night and (Friday) morning and we talked about what happened,” USC hitter Lauren Killian told the Daily Trojan about the team’s dismal performance against the Wildcats. “It hurt to lose but I think it was a game that we learned from and it will help us in the future.”
USC will need all the help it can get. Arizona, which also defeated UCLA (11-5, 6-4) Friday, now has a seven-match winning streak on the line after defeating the Los Angeles schools. The streak has allowed the No. 4 Wildcats to slip back into the Pac-10 race, and is now 10-3 in conference play, only one game back of Stanford.
The Cardinal, however, control their own destiny because they have to play two matches more than Arizona. But the Wildcats visit Palo Alto, Calif., on Nov. 17 for their last Pac-10 match.
For the first time this season, the Wildcats are finally beginning to play up to their potential. But don’t expect them to suffer from a letdown.
“All I look at is getting better,” Arizona head coach David Rubio said. “When we were struggling to look ourselves in the mirror in the morning, it makes you appreciate where we have come from. I am going to absolutely drill them this week, so they don’t get overconfident. I don’t want them to think they can relax, and it is my job to set the tone.”
With six to seven matches remaining for most squads in the conference, the second half of Pac-10 play is boiling up to be one for the ages.
Oregon State still in the hunt
In what may be the biggest surprise of the Pac-10 season, the Beavers are still in the hunt for the Pac-10 title. At three games behind Stanford, Oregon State has a slight chance to capture the conference lead, but is very much alive to make the field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament. After losing a tough match against Washington State on Thursday, the Beavers came back to Gill Coliseum and took on Washington.
Make that win No. 7 in the conference, and 14th overall, after the Beavers slipped by the Huskies in five games. But game five proved to be a tough one for the squad from Corvallis.
After losing game four in convincing fashion, 30-20, the Beavers came back strong and nudged by the Huskies, 15-11.
“Game five was the difference,” Oregon State head coach Nancy Somera told Washington’s The Daily. “We were up big early on, and there was never a question of who was going to win that game. After Washington’s offensive performance in game four (when it hit .553), we knew we couldn’t allow them to carry that momentum into game five. We jumped out to a 4-1 lead and halted their momentum. We were able to maintain the lead the rest of the game.”
The road ahead
While every week in the Pac-10 can be tough, this week will represent a critical point for most squads in the conference.
In the first big matchup, No. 8 UCLA visits tough non-conference opponent Pepperdine today. The Waves are ranked No. 13 in the country, but have yet to play a Pac-10 squad.
USC will have a chance to move back into first place with matches against Washington and Washington State at Lyon Center in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday. The Trojans won both matches against the Pacific Northwest schools earlier this season in convincing fashion, defeating the Cougars and Huskies in straight sets.
And finally, Oregon State will have a chance to prove its worth when Stanford comes calling Saturday.
The Cardinal blitzed Oregon State in three games in early October, but the Beavers stayed with Stanford for most of game one only to see it fall through their hands. Oregon State setter Laura Collins will need to be at the top of her game for the Beavers to stand a chance against the No. 3 team in the nation.