Clash in Corvallis

By Ben Miller

Oct 28, 2004, 12:00 AM

The Washington volleyball team begins the second half of its Pac-10 schedule against Oregon State today at 7 p.m. in Corvallis, Ore. "Traditionally, our second half has been our better half," said coach Jim McLaughlin. "I'd like to maintain that trend for sure." The No.1 Huskies (17-0 overall, 9-0 Pac-10) finished the first half of conference play last weekend by sweeping both No. 13 California and No. 11 Stanford. With the two victories, the UW has defeated six of its last seven opponents in three games. Washington is the top-ranked squad in the nation for the fourth week in a row. The UW and No.3 Hawaii are the only two undefeated teams left after No. 7 Ohio State fell 3-0 to Illinois. The Beavers (8-10, 2-7) have lost their last seven games this season, including a 3-0 defeat to the Huskies Oct. 2. OSU came close to victory last Saturday, pushing No. 12 UCLA to five games before the Bruins took the deciding game 15-7. Oregon State is hitting .229 as a team this season, but only .185 in conference play. Senior outside hitter Allison Lawrence paces OSU in kills with 3.90 per game, with sophomore middle blocker Abby Windell second with 2.75 kpg. Junior setter Desma Stovall directs the offense, dishing out 11.64 assists per game. Oregon State's defense is lead by freshman libero Nina Baltimore, who averages 3.49 digs per game. Lawrence is not far behind with 3.21 digs per game. Washington is first in the Pac-10 in several key categories including hitting percentage (.326), assists (15.96 per game) and kills (17.31 per game). Freshman outside hitter Christal Morrison's team-high 4.33 kille per game ranks third in the Pac-10. Junior Brie Hagerty is second on the team with 3.96 kills per game. Sophomore setter Courtney Thompson, 14.58 assists per game, is good enough for third in the nation. The Huskies rank third nationally with a .326 hitting percentage as a team. The Husky defense is limiting conference opponents to hit a league low of just .131 per game. Senior libero Candace Lee anchors the unit, averaging 5.2 digs per game -- good enough for 30th in Division I. Junior defensive specialist Danka Danicic is next on the squad with 3 digs per game. The Huskies' trip through the Emerald State continues when they visit Oregon (9-10, 1-8) tomorrow night.

Stay up to Date

Subscribe to our weekly newsletters covering the news, arts, and sports.

Clash in Corvallis

Disruptor interrupts Psych 210, professor and students chase man on to Red Square

2025 Seattle and King County primary election endorsements

UW mechanical engineering students are now required to pay $250 quarterly fee to participate in department-affiliated RSOs

College Inn Pub reopens under new ownership