Oct. 3, 2008

Box Score

SEATTLE, Wash. - The No. 8-ranked California volleyball team (13-1, 3-0 Pac-10) won its eighth consecutive match in a 3-0 sweep (28-26, 25-22, 25-23) of No. 9 Washington (11-2, 2-1 Pac-10) tonight at Bank of America Arena in Seattle, Wash. The three-set home loss was the first for the Huskies since they were swept by 2003 NCAA champion USC nearly five years ago, Oct. 4, 2003. The Golden Bears have now won their last 20 sets in a row dating back to a 3-1 win over Cal Poly on Sept. 14th.

Cal junior All-America outside hitter Hana Cutura logged her fourth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 13 digs, leading the Bears in each category. Cutura hit .361 with just four errors on her 36 attacks. The Huskies were led by junior outside hitter Jill Collymore's 15 kills (5e, 36att, .278) and junior defensive specialist/libero Tamari Miyashiro's match-high 26 digs. Cal's middle hitters didn't commit a single error getting 17 kills on 31 combined attacks. Junior middle hitter Mindi Wiley got 10 kills on 15 attacks (.667) and freshman Shannon Hawari put down seven kills on her 16 attacks (.438).

After Cutura put a kill off the Husky block to give Cal the 2-1 advantage, the Bears never looked back, leading the rest of the third set; by as many as five in two instances. With Washington making a short run, Cutura notched her 17th kill of the night to give Cal the 22-18 nod. Husky sophomore outside hitter Kindra Carlson took a set from sophomore setter Jenna Hagglund and got a kill to bring Washington within one point at 24-23 but the Bears put the clamps on things on the next play. Senior outside hitter/middle hitter Morgan Beck got her third kill of the match (2e, 9att, .111) when she put a shot off last week's Pac-10 Player of the Week, Washington senior middle blocker Jessica Swarbrick's outstretched hands to give Cal the match win.

Cal capitalized on Washington errors to stay close in the second set as the Huskies logged a .300 attack percentage with 17 kills (5e, 40 att). The Bears, however, also made good use of each of their second-set attacks, getting 16 kills and just two errors to register a .452 attack percentage. Even so, Cal played from behind the entire set until a wide-right Washington attack tied the score at 18. The Huskies took one more lead at 19-18 and tied the score three more times until Cutura's kill from the back row gave Cal set point at 24-21. Sophomore setter Carli Lloyd and Wiley hooked up on a slide play to log Wiley's eighth kill of the night, closing out the second set in Cal's favor 25-22.

The Bears opened up with a first-set win after trailing until a Washington attack went into the net to tie things up at 20 points. Another long Husky attack gave the Bears their first lead (22-21) since leading 2-1. Washington came right back to tie things at 24 apiece on a kill from Collymore. Cutura's sixth kill of the set went through three Washington blockers to give the Bears their second set-point. Swarbrick's next attack went long of the baseline to seal the win for Cal, 28-26. Freshman outside hitter Tarah Murrey had five of her seven kills in the first set (4e, 22att) to register a .136 attack percentage on the night. Both teams hit .196 in the first set as Cal claimed 18 kills on 56 attacks (7e) and Washington, 15 kills on 46 attacks (6e).

The Bears head to Pullman, Wash. to take on Washington State (7-7, 0-3 Pac-10) in a 7 p.m. match tomorrow (Oct. 4). Cal has not lost to the Cougars in its last ten meetings and currently leads the all-time series 28-22.