Is this years’ Washington squad the best one under longtime coach Jim McLaughlin?
Without a doubt, this year’s Washington squad is one of the best in recent years coming out of Seattle. Coach Jim McLaughlin has seen plenty of success in his 12-year career at the helm of the Huskies program. From last place in the Pac-12 in 2000 to a national championship in 2005, McLauglin has seen many different teams over the years.
But this year’s may be the best yet.
The No. 2 Huskies (15-0, 6-0) are the sole undefeated team left in the country. The squad has started 15-0 for the first time since 2009, but they haven’t done it simply by toppling inferior nonconference opponents. Washington has stayed perfect six games into the tough Pac-12 season. Playing in a conference that has five teams in the top seven in the nation is going to be difficult to get through any stretch unscathed.
Most Pac-12 schools have at least suffered a loss at this point, but not Washington. They have taken care of business against the lower Pac-12 schools, sweeping Colorado this past weekend. However, the squad also swept No. 6 USC on Sept. 28th in an impressive statement victory. The one match that has challenged Washington thus far was a home, five-set thriller against No. 7 UCLA at home which they won 3-2.
Whether this Husky squad will win a pac-12 title will be determined later on, but one thing’s for sure and that is Jim McLaughlin got one the best squads he has ever had.
Does Oregon State deserved to be ranked?
Oregon State does deserve to be ranked, but at the same time so do many other teams in the Pac-12. The Beavers are currently just outside the top 25, receiving 11 votes in the most recent national rankings.
One of the main reasons Oregon State deserves to be ranked is their impressive early season upset of No. 1 Penn State. Although a significant amount of time has passed since the five-set victory in Chicago on Sept. 8, the win still remains fresh in the mind of the volleyball community. Not many teams have been able to best the might Nittany Lions, but the Beavers pulled it off.
While as impressive as that win might seem, it must be weighed with the reasons Oregon State shouldn’t be ranked. Currently the team sits tied for 8th in the Pac-12 with an unimpressive 2-4 conference record. Furthermore, the team has been swept by the Pac-12 elite on multiple occasions, including two straight three set sweeps at the hands of No. 5 Oregon and No. 7 UCLA.
While the Beaver’s track record may indicate they do not deserved to be ranked, they still should be because the Pac-12 conference is currently underrepresented in the national rankings despite being one of the best conferences in the nation. So the Beavers may in fact get that top 25 spot if and only if other teams in the Pac-12 jump into the rankings as well.
Which team is going to finish last in the Pac-12 this year?
The team that is scraping the bottom of the Pac-12 right now and will most likely be there come the end of the season is Washington State.
The Cougars entered Pac-12 play with a 10-2 record, but that was not an effective indicator of the teams ability. Washington State preyed on lesser known schools, boosting their record and not preparing themselves for elite conference play.
It comes as no surprise that the squad has dropped every game in conference play thus far. Although three of their losses have come against top seven opponents, the other three have come against Arizona State, Colorado and Utah who have a combined conference record of 5-13.
Furthermore, it does not seem like this trend is going to end anytime soon.
Washington State is about to embark on a two game road trip, starting with No. 5 Oregon on Oct. 14th and then Oregon State on Oct.19. Given the way the season has gone for the Cougars, a 0-2 trip is the most likely outcome.
Yet despite the obvious trends that have dominated Washington State’s season to date, they have some bright spots. Behind outside hitter Jaicee Harris who averages 4.23 kills/set, the Cougars have pushed some top teams deep into sets, including a 29-27 set againsr their rival Washington.
The 12th team in the Pac-12 is not set in stone, but Washington State has a lot of work to get on their feet.
Austin Crochetiere covers volleyball. Contact him at [email protected]
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