Huskies hopeful against Oregon State

After a disappointing road trip to California, the UW volleyball team (10-10 overall, 3-8 Pac-10) is happy to return home as they host the visiting Oregon State Beavers in hopes of re-establishing themselves as a Pac-10 presence.

"Both teams have talent," said Husky coach Jim McLaughlin. "Oregon State has good middle hitters. They take care of the ball and they play good defense."

The Huskies have had a fair amount of success against the Beavers at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, defeating them six out of their last 10 times at home, but Oregon State has already proven that it is no team to be taken lightly. OSU swept Washington in three games in Corvallis back on Sept. 27th, and the Huskies don't want history to repeat itself.

"We are excited to play them," said Husky center blocker Allison Richardson. "We're coming off a rough weekend and we're ready to start competing and winning again. We know that we're prepared, and we know what we need to do."

The Huskies will head into battle without outside hitter Vanessa Gilliam. Gilliam fractured her left pinky while trying to block the ball against Stanford last Friday and could be sidelined for the rest of the season.

With Gilliam out of action and three players redshirting, the Husky roster has slimmed down to only 10 active players.

"We'll have to change things up a little bit more and move some people around because of our lack of depth, but I think we will be okay," McLaughlin said.

Sophomore center blocker Kara Bjorklund will likely get the call in Gilliam's absence. Bjorklund has come on strong for the Huskies as of late. She He has recorded 22 kills for the Huskies in the last two matches.

"We're thinking of putting Kara in," McLaughlin said. "I think she will do a good job. She's aggressive. She hits the ball high and hard and has done well hitting on the left side"

The Beavers enter the game record of 13-5, 6-3 Pac-10, and are in pursuit of securing their first winning season since 1996.