Spiking the competition

By Ben Miller

Sep 30, 2004, 12:00 AM

In a season full of expectations, the Washington women's volleyball squad has come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. For only the third time in team history, the Huskies have started off the season 10-0 with the sweep of No. 10 UCLA and defending national champion No. 3 USC last weekend. The sweep was the first time since 1997 that the UW has come out of Los Angeles with two victories. Playing a tough out-of-conference schedule this year, Washington has dominated the competition. The Huskies did not lose a single game in their first eight matches against a schedule including six opponents with 19 or more wins a year ago. This year's success should come as little surprise, and Washington recorded one of its best postseason performances in the advancement to the Elite Eight for only the second time in the program's history. With last season's surprising success came this season's high expectations. Head coach Jim McLaughlin is unaffected by the team's lofty position. "It can't be too much of a concern; the rankings you can't control," said McLaughlin. "It's the pressure you want." The Huskies have risen to No. 2 in the latest polls, the school's highest ranking ever, and with four starters returning to the squad, they look like they could be a contender for the national championship in December. Foremost among those returning is senior outside hitter Sanja Tomasevic. A second team All-American last year, Tomasevic has cemented her status as one of college's best players with her excellent play this season. In her career in purple and gold, she has a record 1,133 kills, good for seventh best in UW history. The Huskies are not just Tomasevic. Sophomore setter Courtney Thompson is already eighth on the Huskies' all-time assist list. Middle blockers junior Darlra Myhre and senior Egan Metcalf have helped Washington hold opponents to a .116 hitting percentage, best in the Pac-10. The Huskies' toughest test will come as conference play continues in the upcoming weeks. The Pac-10 boasts six teams currently ranked in the national top 25, making wins hard to come by as the season progresses. The key to navigating the difficult season ahead will be the core team values within this talented squad. "They understand what they need to do," McLaughlin said. "They're doing the right things the right way." The team plays for the first time at home as it takes on Northwest rivals Oregon and Oregon State this weekend at Bank of America Arena as the Huskies continue on the road to a national championship.

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