Huskies roll by Siena in NCAA volleyball opener

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Washington volleyball coach Jim McLaughlin was a bit nervous Friday night heading into the first round of the NCAA tournament.

That's understandable, considering the weighty expectations being placed on the third-ranked Huskies, who entered the tournament as one of the favorites to win the NCAA championship. As it turns out, however, Washington was more than up to the task, rolling to a 30-21, 30-17, 30-18 win over scrappy Siena at Colorado State's Moby Arena.

"Going into the first round is always nerve-wracking," McLaughlin said. "There has been a lot of talk about us going to the Final Four, and it's human nature to look ahead. When you get to the tournament, though, you just can't do that.

"I'm just happy to get that first one out of the way."

UW (27-1), the No. 3 overall seed, left little doubt about its prowess in this match, overpowering Siena (20-12) with big hitting up front, great passing and consistent serving. The Saints, who earned a berth in the tournament by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, simply had no answer for UW's relentless pressure and deep bench.

"We knew Washington is one of the best teams in the nation, and we were excited to play them," Siena coach Garvey Pierre said. "I was very impressed with them. They definitely have the potential to go all the way."

The Huskies dominated statistically, hitting .287 for the match to .118 for the Saints, who hurt themselves with 10 service errors and just nine blocks. Christal Morrison had 14 of UW's 48 kills and Pac-10 Player of the Year Sanja Tomasevic had nine.

Best of all, the Huskies improved as the match progressed.

"In this tournament format, anything can happen and you have to be ready for every match," said All-America setter Courtney Thompson, who had 38 assists and five blocks. "We started a little slow but I felt we got better the last two games. We really got it going toward the end."

Siena, the smallest school in the tournament with an enrollment of 2,900, actually had a decent chance in first game, out-hitting UW (.186 to .184) and closing to 20-16 with a 5-1 run. But five service errors spoiled the Saints' shot at victory, and the Huskies scored five consecutive points — two on kills by Brie Hagerty — to regain control at 25-16 en route to a nine-point win.

Siena stayed close in the second game, too, trailing 15-11 when another Washington outburst ended any hope for the Saints. This 7-1 run included a block and a kill by Alesha Deesing, and the Huskies were in command at 22-12.

Siena's best stretch of the match — a 4-0 run to make it 9-9 in the final game — was answered with a blistering 9-0 Washington burst that all but closed the book on the Saints, who had to travel 1,800 miles to get their up-close look at the Huskies. Tomasevich and Morrison were dominant up front, giving McLaughlin a chance to clear his bench for the final few points.

Washington, 4-0 since suffering its lone loss Nov. 12 at UCLA, figures to get a tougher test tonight in the second round, facing host Colorado State, which beat Colorado 26-30, 30-24, 30-19, 30-27. The Huskies, though, said they are looking forward to the challenge of playing in front of a hostile crowd.

"I love away crowds — especially big ones," Morrison said. "It should be fun."