New attitude
October 31, 2003
The Huskies were elated after upsetting No. 6 Stanford and were bitterly disappointed after nearly beating eighth-ranked California last weekend. What Washington (6-5 Pac-10, 15-5 overall) took away from that experience went beyond overall records or Pac-10 standings.
For Washington, winning is about having unshakable confidence against the nation's best teams and not letting self-doubt seep into its conscience.
Tonight, the Huskies face top-ranked USC, followed by UCLA tomorrow -- this time with a new attitude.
"We realized that we have too much respect for these teams," said Husky outside hitter Sanja Tomasevic. "We don't give ourselves enough credit.
"We are in the top 10 in the nation. They have to deal with us. We have stars on this team, too."
The happiness that accompanied Washington's 3-1 victory over the Cardinal spurred questions among the team.
"When we beat Stanford we were so happy, but at the same time we're allowed to beat these teams," said outside hitter Brie Hagerty. "Any team can lose on any given night."
The Lady Trojans are 11-0 in the Pac-10, 20-0 overall this season and are riding a 32-match winning streak. Georgia Tech is the only other Division I school that remains undefeated this season, with a record of 20-0.
Washington's goal in the coming matches is to limit the sporadic outbursts and maintain a high level of intensity throughout the match. The last time USC was in town, the Trojans swept Washington 3-0.
"If we play every game like it's match point, we'll win," said Tomasevic.
The Huskies are also learning how to finish off opponents. Two of Washington's matches thus far have gone the distance, and Washington lost both matches.
In addition to the Bears last weekend, the Huskies lost a series 3-2 to UCLA Oct. 3.
In that match, Brynn Murphy had 22 kills and five digs for the Bruins. The tie-breaking match is only supposed to go to 15 points, but the Bruins and Huskies extended the score into the 20s before the Huskies went down 24-22. Both teams had match point twice in the final frame. The Bruins have won their past four matches.
"It's going to end differently than when we played [UCLA] at home," said setter Carolyn Farny.
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