(Photo: Trey Lanthier/WCSN)
No. 1: Stanford (last week: No. 1), 26-0 (16-0)
Nothing new here. The Cardinal stayed perfect over the weekend by sweeping No. 17 UCLA and No. 25 USC. However, winning in the Galen Center was something Stanford had not done since 2010, and once again, their middles paced the Cardinal offense. Junior Inky Ajanaku and redshirt freshman Merete Lutz combined for 53 kills over the weekend on .557 hitting percentage. Now, the Cardinal stands alone as the only unbeaten team in the country, and they look to stay that way as the welcome No. 23 Utah and No. 19 Colorado to Palo Alto this weekend.
No. 5: Washington (last week: No. 2), 25-2 (14-2)
For the first time all season, Washington came out on the losing end. Not only that, but it happened twice. Against No. 19 Colorado, the Huskies found themselves down two sets before storming back and forcing a fifth set. It would not be enough as they fell short, 15-11, and posted their lowest hitting percentage of the season at .177. Against No. 23 Utah, the script was relatively the same as they went down in five sets once again. Washington held a 13-game winning streak in five-set matches before the weekend, and they had also been yet to drop a set in six straight matches. Nonetheless, Washington will attempt to recover as they welcome No. 13 Arizona and No. 22 Arizona State to Seattle.
No. 13: Arizona (last week: 14), 21-7 (10-6)
Arizona continued their high-level of play, downing both No. 14 Oregon and Oregon State in four sets apiece. The Wildcats were led by the efforts of sophomore setter Penina Snuka, who posted 51 digs and 80 assists over the weekend to earn Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. She also racked up seven kills over the weekend. Snuka will be looking to lead her team to another upset win as they travel to play No. 5 Washington and Washington State on the road this weekend.
No. 14: Oregon (last week: 10), 19-7 (9-7)
After being dropped by No. 13 Arizona in four sets, the Oregon Ducks rebounded to come out victorious in an epic, five-set duel against No. 22 Arizona State. In Tempe, the Ducks compiled a season-high 111 digs, which ranked as the second-most in a Pac-12 match this season. Oregon’s defensive efforts were led by a career-high 24 digs from senior outside hitter Liz Brenner as well as a 28-dig effort from sophomore libero Amanda Benson. Freshman setter Maggie Scott also posted career-highs in assists (36) and digs (14). With No. 17 UCLA and No. 25 USC coming to Eugene, the Ducks will look to continue the high-level of play.
No. 17: UCLA (last week: 18), 17-9 (8-7)
Following their straight-sets loss to No. 1 Stanford, UCLA bounced back to take down California in a dominating sweep. The Bruins were led by a historic effort from sophomore middle blocker Claire Felix, who posted 12 kills on 12 swings. That’s right: She had a perfect game. Felix’s effort was the first 1.000 hitting percentage posted by a Bruin with at least 10 swings. She and senior outside hitter Karsta Lowe look to lead their team to wins as they travel to play No. 14 Oregon and Oregon State this weekend.
No. 19: Colorado (last week: 22), 17-11 (9-7)
Colorado did something nobody in the country had done this season: beat Washington. The Buffaloes upset the previously-No. 2 team in the country in five sets at home behind the outstanding efforts from senior outside hitter Taylor Simpson. She posted an eye-popping 29 kills and 22 digs in Colorado’s five-set win over Washington for her second 20-20 game of her career. Simpson followed that match with 24 kills and 18 digs against Washington State, and for her efforts, she was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. Colorado’s nine conference wins are the most since they joined the Pac-12, and they will attempt to increase that total as they travel to play California and No. 1 Stanford this weekend.
No. 22: Arizona State (last week: 20), 17-11 (7-9)
In a weekend of firsts in the Pac-12, Arizona State was no exception. The Sun Devils lost both of their weekend matches for the first time this conference season as they were dropped by Oregon State and No. 14 Oregon in five sets each. Against the Beavers, struggled to create a sense of urgency throughout the match, according to head coach Jason Watson. However, the Sun Devils performed much better against the Ducks led by career efforts from freshman libero Halle Harker and junior setter Bianca Arellano. Harker broke, and then rebroke, ASU’s single-game digs record for a freshman, posting 33 and 34 digs against Oregon State and Oregon, respectively. Arellano also dished out a career-high 62 assists in the loss. Nonetheless, ASU will look to bounce back this weekend as they travel to play No. 5 Washington and Washington State on the road.
No. 23: Utah (last week: unranked), 16-11 (6-10)
After sweeping their Southern California road trip, Utah kept rolling, first with a four-set win over Washington State and then perhaps the biggest upset of the season as they came out victorious after a five-set bout with then-undefeated No. 5 Washington. Freshman outside hitter Adora Anae led the way with 10 kills and 10 digs against the Huskies, and her efforts over the entire weekend earned her Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors. The Utes are now on a four-match winning streak, with three of those wins coming against ranked opponents. The late surge has been quite the surprise, and they will seek to continue that trend on the road against No. 1 Stanford and California.
No. 25: Southern California (last week: 21), 14-12 (7-9)
The erratic USC season continued last weekend as the Women of Troy were swept by No. 1 Stanford and then defeated on Senior Night in five sets to California, who was previously winless in the Pac-12. Despite the big letdown against the Golden Bears, one bright spot was junior outside hitter Samantha Bricio becoming the Pac-12’s all-time service ace leader, passing UCLA’s Daiva Tomkus, and now has 200 aces in her career. However, the loss was ultimately USC’s fifth in their last seven matches, and with the tournament looming, they will look to get back on track as they hit the road to play Oregon State and No. 14 Oregon.
Unranked:
California: 9-17 (1-15)
Oregon State: 17-10 (7-9)
Washington State: 10-18 (1-15)
You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com.
