Bay Area powers await UW volleyball team

With the Pac-10 volleyball season at its midpoint, what have we learned?

Any team is beatable. Six of the nation's top 12 in the latest coaches' poll are Pac-10 teams, including sixth-ranked Washington (16-3, 7-2 Pac-10, third place). Yet no one escaped the first half without a conference loss.

This weekend the Huskies travel to the Bay Area for tough tests against the Pac-10's premier teams: No. 5 Stanford (17-3, 8-1) at 7 tonight, and No. 4 California (18-2, 8-1) on Sunday.

The Huskies were swept 3-0 on their court by that pair earlier this month, but have since won five straight matches, three over teams ranked higher at the time.

"We've grown a lot," coach Jim McLaughlin said. "When we're in this dimension of improvement, though, we can't worry about a particular opponent. You can't let your mind wander to things that don't serve you well. Just stay focused on getting better."

UW is a surprise story. In a preseason poll, Pac-10 coaches picked the youthful Huskies, with just one senior (middle blocker Jessica Swarbrick), to finish fifth.

Five of the Huskies' seven Pac-10 wins were 3-2 squeakers. So are they good, or lucky?

"I think a little bit of both," McLaughlin replied. "We've been good when we've had to be, but we've only been good from start to finish against Oregon State (a speedy 3-0 blitz). We're maturing."

McLaughlin maximizes players' abilities. While lacking an intimidating force such as Cal's 6-foot-4 Hana Cutura (11th nationally in kills per set) or Stanford's 6-3 Foluke Akinradewo (in the top 10 in hitting percentage and blocks per set), McLaughlin has a knack for coaxing championship-caliber play out of his talent.

To boost production around the team's offensive core, the diversely skilled Airial Salvo, McLaughlin has stoked an internal competition among three other outside hitters (Kindra Carlson, Becky Perry, Jill Collymore), rewarding error-reduction with more playing time.

Lately Carlson, a 6-1 sophomore, has benefitted the most. Erratic earlier in the season, Carlson hit an eye-popping .528 (with 43 kills) in UW's last three matches.

."We're still not where we need to be," McLaughlin said. Acknowledging his own perfectionist tendencies, he chuckled. "But, are we ever?"

Notes

• Sophomore setter Jenna Hagglund is ranked third nationally in assist per set (12.01). Cal's Carli Lloyd is No. 2 (12.03). Junior libero Tamari Miyashiro, the 2007 national defensive player of the year, ranks second in the Pac-10 in digs per set (4.87).

• Washington was the only team to defeat Stanford at Maples Pavilion last season.

• Cal has a 16-match home winning streak. The Bears defeated Stanford 3-1 on the road Oct. 19.