Hawaii's surprise loss to Utah State in the WAC Championship saw them drop from a #3 ranking to a 15 seed in the NCAA tournament and was probably the worse thing that could have happened to the unranked unseeded Washington Huskies as they would have to defeat the Wahine in the second round to advance to the Regional Semi-Finals.
Both teams took care of business Thursday night with 3-0 wins. Hawaii was shakey early on against an impressive Portland State squad who were very competitive through the first two sets. The Wahine and outside hitter Kanani Danielson got their business together after the break and exerted their dominance with an impressive 25-8 win in the third set.
UW came out of the gates fast behind the energy of the home crowd and with a lot of help from a woeful performance from the service line by the Michigan Wolverines. Becky Perry led the Husky attack with 10 kills and the middle hitter combination of Lauren Barfield and Bianca Rowland combined for eight blocks and eleven kills. Freshman libero Jenni Orlandi anchored the defense and provided the passing platform for Senior setter Jenna Hagglund to lead her team to an impressive .321 hitting percentage.
Friday Night Lights, Volleyball Style
Washington vs Hawaii is the most intrigueing match-up of the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament this season. The teams come together after polar opposite seasons that saw Hawaii face tough challenges in the early season before cruising to a 16-0 record in the WAC. Washington cruised through the early season with a national ranking as high as number five before the grueling PAC-10 schedule wore them down and dropped them from the top 25.
Washington has everything to lose Friday night in front of their home crowd with the promise of playing in front of their home crowd next weekend in the Regional Championship matches. Hawaii will be looking to write another chapter in the amazing career of powerful outside hitter Kanani Danielson by brining the Wahine to their first national title since 1987.
Players to Watch
Here is a quick look at some of the players who stood out last night and will be sure to have an impact on tonight's match.
Kanani Danielson #5 OH Hawaii
Strong barely begins to describe Danielson. Her broad shoulders and awe inspiring power point to her receiving serious consideration from the US Women's National Team. Her power can dominate a match. UH seemed very careful not to be one dimensional against Portland State, but when Danielson is your one dimension, it might just benefit the Wahine to get her the ball and let her pound down the UW defense.
Jenna Orlandini #4 Libero Washington
Jenni was reportedly recommended to UW by none other than US Women's National Team assistant coach Karch Kiraly and after watching her average 4.68 digs a set this season as a redshirt freshman, it is easy to see why. Orlandini had the benefit of learning from Tamari Miyashiro last year and is now showing the potentail to surpass Tama as the best defensive player in UW history.
Dani Mafua #11 Setter Hawaii
Mafua earned honorable mention AVCA All-American in 2009. This year her and fellow senior Danielson have National Championship and ambitions. Her court vision and leadership were evident against Portland State. She averages over 11 assists per set and has led the Wahine to a .287 hitting percentage on the season. Her ability to spread the UH offense around and create open opportunities for Danielson will be a key to the match against the big block of Washington.
Becky Perry #10 OH Washington
Perry finished second on the team in kills this season behind fellow senior hitter Kindra Carlson. Her size and power were on display against Michigan Thursday as she led the team in kills and hit a blistering .364. If she can be as big a part of UW's 1-2 senior punch Friday night, the Huskies will benefit greatly. If she struggles to find consistency and hits closer to her .271 season average, it could be a long night for the Purple and Gold.
Match Details
First serve is at 7:30pm Friday night. Tickets are avaialble at the box office at Hec Ed Pavillion. See you there.
UW Press Conference Follwing Michigan Match
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