Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1161821
2 0 1 9 P A C - 1 2 V O L L E Y B A L L M E D I A G U I D E 6 P A C - 1 2 V O L L E Y B A L L H I S T O R Y 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 388-171 (.694) against non-league foes. During that same period, the Pac-12 has posted a mark of 115-19 (.858) in NCAA Tournament opening-round matches, including a record 10-0 in 2014. The Pac-12 has been a national force in the sport of volleyball for nearly four decades. Since the beginning of the NCAA Volleyball Championship, a team representing a Pac-12 institution has won the title 16 of the 38 years. In 2018, STANFORD won its second NCAA title in three years and the Conference's 16th NCAA all-time, also claiming its NCAA-leading eighth all-time crown. From 2001-2005, the Pac-12 won an unprecedented five-consecutive national titles, WASHINGTON capturing its first NCAA title in 2005. The Cardinal started the string of championship success with a title in 2001, followed by a pair of back-to-back crowns won by USC in 2002 and 2003, with Stanford adding another in 2004 before the Huskies' 2005 win. Stanford's win in 2016 broke a Conference drought of five years after UCLA was the national champion in 2011. 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 25 of the last 26 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 27 of the 38 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 51 of the 148 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. Volleyball has grown in popularity in recent years and the U.S. Olympic team roster is historically dot- ted with former Pac-12 Conference players. Others have played professionally with the Association of Volleyball 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 532-80 (.869) record in Conference play and is 926-162 (.851) overall. The Cardinal has 18 Pac-12 titles, eight national titles and eight national runner-up finishes to its credit. UCLA sports a record of 817-276 (.747) with a mark of 433-179 (.708) 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 .718 winning percentage, going 750-295. In league play and are just shy of 70 percent, winning 69.0 percent (422-190) their matches league all-time. Their 2003 national title capped off a 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 volley- ball in 1986, 148 Pac-12 athletes have garnered All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Those individuals have collected an astounding 248 certificates, including 17 AVCA National Player of the Year designations. Stanford's Bev Oden (1990 and 1991), Logan Tom (2001 and 2002) and, more recently, Kathryn Plum- mer (2017 and 2018) have won the nation's top honor twice, with UCLA's Natalie Williams (1992), Stanford's Cary Wendell (1995), Stanford's Kerri Walsh (1999), Stanford's Ogonna Nnamani (2004), Stanford's Foluke Akinradewo (2007), Cal's Carli 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. Lloyd (2010), USC's Alex Jupiter (2011), Oregon's Alaina Bergsma (2012), Washington's Krista Vansant (2013) and USC's Samantha Bricio (2015) nabbing the honor, as well. The Pac-12 Conference, living up to its reputa- tion as the "Conference of Champions®," will be seeking its 17th NCAA volleyball title in 2019.