USC sophomore libero Debora Seilhamer posted 45 digs against UCLA last week, the Pac-10’s second-highest dig total recorded in a single match.
Defense has been the main theme in the Pacific-10 Conference this season. With so many teams utilizing a potent, well-balanced attack, the only counters are precise digging and authoritative blocking.
USC possesses players that can successfully accomplish those tasks better than any other athletes in the conference.
Libero Debora Seilhamer set a school record last week as she posted 45 digs against UCLA. That mark squeezes her in at No. 2 on the Pac-10’s all-time list for digs in a match, behind Oregon’s Amy Barnes who recorded 50 against California in 1995.
Seilhamer, a sophomore, received Pac-10 Player of the Week honors for that performance. The native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, has collected 373 digs this season and is averaging 5.18 per game, which ranks fourth in the league and is higher than USC’s current record in that category.
Senior Emily Adams is third in the conference in total blocks with 110 for the Trojans. She is currently the Pac-10’s active-career leader with 414 in front of Cal’s Camille Leffall (411). Adams recorded a league-best 16 block assists against Washington on Sept. 25 and she is one of six Pac-10 players with four solo blocks in a match this season.
Sixth-ranked USC and No. 17 UCLA will host the Oregon schools this weekend in Los Angeles. The Women of Troy swept both teams in three games earlier this season. They hold an all-time record of 32-5 against the Ducks and a 30-7 advantage over Oregon State.
Lee’s defensive efforts indispensible for UW
Washington’s Candace Lee set a new record for her program as she became the Huskies’ all-time digs leader at 1,264. If the junior libero can hold her average of 5.72 digs per game she would break both the school and the Pac-10 single-season records (4.17 and 4.92).
Lee has collected 423 digs this season for a Washington team that leads the conference with 1,343.
The Huskies (22-0 overall, 14-0 Pac-10) have occupied the top spot in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 poll for seven weeks. With one more win, Washington will claim at least a part of the Pac-10 title. Its 22-0 run — which includes six defeats over nationally ranked teams has demoted the 21-0 start of the 1977 Huskies team.
The Washington schools will face off against No. 9 Stanford and No. 14 California this weekend.
Other Pac-10 notes
Seventeen student athletes signed a national letter of intent with a Pac-10 school during the early signing period. Stanford welcomed four signees, more than any other school. Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Washington did not receive any new additions by the deadline.
Arizona head coach Dave Rubio earned his 250th win with the Wildcats as they defeated Washington State on the road.
The Sun Devils (10-14, 5-10) have improved their conference and non-conference win totals by one match from last season with three matches left to play.
Four players on the Cal roster have landed at least 200 kills this season and one more has 164; however, the Bears are third in the Pac-10 in kills behind Washington and USC.
