With Ohio State and DePaul falling last weekend, that leaves four teams left with perfect records. Missouri (17-0) takes on Auburn at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday. The Tigers lead the nation in hitting and assists and is second in kills. North Carolina, who earned its highest ranking in school history at No. 11, is 13-0 and battles Syracuse at 7 p.m. Friday. No. 17 Colorado State, fresh off a win against Nevada on Thursday sits at 13-0. The Rams have the weekend to rest before taking on Utah State and Boise State next week. Finally, No. 1 Washington keeps its streak alive at 10-0 and is at Colorado on Friday. The Huskies are sitting atop the national rankings for the first time since 2005.
Spotlight on Wicinski
Michigan State senior Lauren Wicinski was named the AVCA National Volleyball Player of the Week earlier this week. She is the sixth player in MSU history to claim this honor, and the first since the 2003 season. MSU snapped an 18-match losing streak to the Nittany Lions with a 3-2 win in State College on Friday, the program's first victory against a top-ranked opponent and first win on the road in this series since 2001. Wicinski led all players with 21 kills, and added two service aces, two blocks, and nine digs in the win against the No. 1 team in the country, MSU's first victory in program history against a top-ranked team. MSU swept the weekend by following Friday's performance with a sweep of previously-undefeated Ohio State, where Wicinski led the team with 12 kills, and added two digs and two more aces, including one on match point. MSU had not won at OSU since 2008.
Featured Matchup of the Week
It’ll be a Pac-12 showdown between No. 7 Stanford and No. 2 USC at 11 p.m. ET Friday. Stanford is 9-2 and coming off a nine-match winning streak including victories against Arizona State and Cal. Its only two losses were to Florida and Texas. USC is 12-1, and its only loss was to a hot San Diego squad. Led by setter Madi Bugg, Stanford has a pair of dominant outsides (Rachel Williams and Brittany Howard) who lead the team in kills. Also a strong blocking team, USC has tabbed 174 total blocks this season compared to their opponent’s 78.
Attendance Soaring
Attendance records seem to be falling all over the country. UCF set a new attendance record for volleyball against rival USF as they had 1,669 fans in The Venue (the “official” capacity is 1,500), reaching capacity in its first match in the American Athletic Conference. In addition, North Dakota defeated North Dakota State 3-0 in front of the largest crowd to watch a volleyball match in the state of North Dakota (2,688).
TV Matches
Here’s the lineup for this weekend’s TV games (all times ET):
• 7 p.m. Friday - Miami vs. Clemson (ESPN3)
• 7 p.m. Friday - Virginia Tech vs. Pittsburgh (ESPN3)
• 9 p.m. Friday - Washington vs. Colorado (Pac-12 Network)
• 9 p.m. Friday - Oregon State vs. Arizona State (Pac-12 Network)
• 9 p.m. Friday - California vs. USC (Pac-12 Network)
• 11 p.m. Friday - Stanford vs. UCLA (Pac-12 Network)
• 2 p.m. Sunday - Oregon State vs. Arizona (Pac-12 Network)
• 2 p.m. Sunday - Washington State vs. Colorado (Pac-12 Network)
• 2 p.m. Sunday - California vs. USC (Pac-12 Network)
• 6 p.m. Sunday - Oregon vs. Arizona State (Pac-12 Network)
