Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/875573
2017 PAC-12 VOLLEYBALL 2 0 1 7 – 2 0 1 8 6 PAC-12 VOLLEYBALL HISTORY There is little argument the Pac-12 Conference is the nation's strongest in the sport of women's volleyball. Since 1990, the Pac-12 has pretty much owned the NCAA Tournament, compiling a postseason record of 334-137 (.709) against non-league foes. During that same period, the Pac-12 has posted a mark of 133-19 (.875) in NCAA Tournament opening round matches, including a record 10-0 in 2015. STANFORD won the Conference's 15th NCAA title in 2016, also claiming its seventh all-time crown, tying for the most of any program. UCLA was the national champion in 2011 and WASHINGTON captured its first NCAA title in 2005, giving the Pac-12 an unprecedented five-consecutive national titles. STANFORD started the string of champion- ship success with a title in 2001, followed by a pair of back-to-back crowns won by USC in 2002 and 2003, and Stanford added another in 2004, before the Huskies' win in 2005. Further proof of the Conference's dominance in the sport is the fact that the Pac-12 has sent at least five teams to the NCAA Tournament in 23 of the last 24 seasons, including an unprecedented 10 squads in 2014, going 10-0 in the first round. The previous mark of nine NCAA berths was set in 2013. In 26 of the 36 NCAA Tournaments, a league team has finished no lower than second. In 2002, the Pac-12 tallied a record 20 wins in the NCAA Tournament as the Conference sent eight teams into postseason action. The Conference has provided 49 of the 140 teams to have ever played in the Final Four, including appearances by seven different Pac-12 institutions - Arizona, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington. Four times the Pac-12 has comprised three-fourths of the Final Four field - 1985, 2004, 2006 and 2007. The Pac-12 has been a national force in the sport of volleyball for nearly three decades. Since the beginning of the NCAA Volleyball Championship, a team representing a Pac-12 institution has won the title 16 of the 36 years, and with the Cardinal's latest win, it is tied for the most by one team with seven. Volleyball has grown in popularity in recent years and the U.S. Olympic team roster is dotted with former Pac-12 Conference players. Others have played professionally with the Association of Vol- leyball Professionals (AVP). In addition, there are former Pac-12 players who are active in international volleyball leagues throughout the world. Volleyball began in the Pac-12 in 1986, when the Conference first began sponsoring women's athletics and since then, Stanford, UCLA and USC have led the charge for Pac-12 volleyball. Stanford owns a 493-79 (.838) record in Conference play and is 862-157 (.846) overall. The Cardinal has 16 Pac-12 titles, seven national titles and eight national runner-up finishes to its credit. UCLA sports a record of 783-251 (.731) with a mark of 413-159 (.722) in Pac-12 competition. That record has earned the Bruins seven Conference crowns, as well as four NCAA Championships with the latest coming in 2011. Meanwhile, USC is one of three Pac-12 teams to have at least a 70 percent winning percentage since 1986, the year the Conference began sponsoring women's sports. The Trojans boast a .720 winning percentage, going 703-274. In league play, they are just shy of 70 percent, winning 69.1 percent (395- 177) their matches all-time. Their 2003 national title capped off an historic 35-0 campaign - the first undefeated season in Pac-12 history. USC won the first-ever NCAA volleyball crown in 1981, setting the pace for the Conference's success in the race to the national title. Since the inception of Pac-12 women's volleyball in 1986, 133 Pac-12 athletes have garnered All-Amer- ican honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Those individuals have collected an astounding 225 certificates, including 15 AVCA National Player of the Year designations in Stanford's Bev Oden (1990 and 1991), UCLA's Natalie Williams (1992), Stanford's Cary Wendell (1995), Stanford's Kerri Walsh (1999), Stanford's Logan Tom (2001 and 2002), Stanford's Ogonna Nnamani (2004), Stanford's 2003 USC Women of Troy - NCAA Champions with a perfect 35-0 record. (NCAA Photos) UCLA's Andy Banachowski – Bruin squads have captured six Pac-10 crowns and three NCAA titles under his direc- tion. Banachowski has posted a career record of 1082- 292 (.787) in 42 years at the helm of the UCLA program. Stanford's Logan Tom earned AVCA National Player of the Year honors in 2001 and 2002. Foluke Akinradewo (2007), Cal's Carli Lloyd (2010), USC's Alex Jupiter (2011), Oregon's Alaina Bergsma (2012), Washington's Krista Vansant (2013) and USC's Samantha Bricio (2015). The Pac-12 Conference, living up to its reputa- tion as the "Conference of Champions®," will be seeking its 16th NCAA volleyball title in 2017.