Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/162669
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 279-106 (.725) against non-league foes. During that same period, the Pac-12 has posted a mark of 105-13 (.890) in NCAA Tournament opening round matches. In 2011, UCLA snapped a six-year Pac-12 drought, claiming the Conference's 12th NCAA title in the last 21 years and 14th overall. Prior to that year, WASHINGTON captured its first NCAA title in 2005, giving the Pac-12 an unprecedented five-consecutive national titles. STANFORD started the string of championship success with a title in 2001, followed by a pair of back-to-back titles won by USC in 2002 and 2003. Stanford added a NCAAleading sixth national championship by taking the crown 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 19 of the last 20 seasons. In 25 of the 32 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 league sent a record eight teams into postseason action. The Conference has provided 47 of the 128 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 14 of the 32 years. It is likely that the Pac12 will again be a dominant power on the national scene in 2013. Stanford's Logan Tom earned AVCA National Player of the Year honors in 2001 and 2002. 6 // 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 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 426-66 (.866) record in Conference play and is 752-135 (.848) overall. The Cardinal has 15 Pac-12 titles, six national titles and eight national runner-up finishes to its credit. UCLA sports a record of 694-209 (.769) with a mark of 367-125 (.746) 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 .721 winning percentage, going 607-235. In league play, they are just shy of 70 percent, winning 69.7 percent (343149) 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, 104 Pac-12 athletes have garnered All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Those individuals have collected an astounding 192 certificates, including 12 AVCA National Player of the Year designations in Stanford's Bev Oden (1990 and 1991), UCLA's Natalie Williams (1992), Stanford's Cary Wendell 2003 USC Women of Troy - NCAA Champions with a perfect 35-0 record. (NCAA Photos) 2013 PAC-12 VOLLEYBALL MEDIA GUIDE UCLA's Andy Banachowski – Bruin squads have captured six Pac-10 crowns and three NCAA titles under his direction. Banachowski has posted a career record of 1082292 (.787) in 42 years at the helm of the UCLA program. (1995), Stanford's Kerri Walsh (1999), Stanford's Logan Tom (2001 and 2002), Stanford's Ogonna Nnamani (2004), Stanford's Foluke Akinradewo (2007), Cal's Carli Lloyd (2010), USC's Alex Jupiter and Oregon's Alaina Bergsma (2012). The Pac-12 Conference, living up to its reputation as the "Conference of Champions®," will be seeking its 15th NCAA volleyball title in 2012.