Setting up 2006

In December of 2005 the Washington volleyball team reached the pinnacle of NCAA athletics by traveling to San Antonio for the national championship. The Huskies defeated Nebraska in three games and returned home with the national championship trophy hoisted over their heads. [HTML_REMOVED]

Now, almost ten months later, the slightly different team will work to improve their play each and every week and come out on top of the heap again.[HTML_REMOVED]

Despite an early season loss to fourth-ranked Texas, the team has stormed to a 13-1 record. Among the many wins, a pair of highlights came during this past Friday's ruffling of No. 6 Stanford's feathers in a 3-0 sweep and the defeat of eighth-ranked California the night before.[HTML_REMOVED]

"It has been fun, because we get on our assignments and we know what we need to do throughout the match," junior Christal Morrison said. "Stanford was really cool because we focused in on what we needed to do, what they did, and just went out there and got it done."[HTML_REMOVED]

The 3-0 score appears like a trademark on the Huskies (13-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-10) scoreboard, since they have not dropped a game to an opponent since the loss to the Longhorns in just the second match of the season. Despite their strong record, constantly improving remains the main focus of coach Jim McLaughlin's coaching mantra. [HTML_REMOVED]

"We can play very good volleyball, but can we play for a long period? That's a key," McLaughlin asked. "We have to improve our consistency."[HTML_REMOVED]

Intensity plays a key role in this mindset.[HTML_REMOVED]

"There is a high intensity level everyday because you can't improve unless there is," McLaughlin said. "We believe that you develop great players through competition and intensity. We're intense in whatever we do. These kids play cards and they're intense."[HTML_REMOVED]

Improvement at a fast pace has as big an importance to the team now as much as ever. Four of the key players who helped lead the UW to the national title last year, including two time All-American outside hitter Sanja Tomsaevic and two-time All-American libero Candace Lee, graduated last year. This left the team with just three returning starters.[HTML_REMOVED]

Two of those returnees are outside-hitter Morrison and senior setter Courtney Thompson. As both team captains and star players, Morrison and Thompson serve clearly as team leaders on and off the court through their example. Both players are two-time All Americans and first team Pac-10 players. Receiving honors as the Pac-10 Player of the Week, for this past week, Morrison leads the team in kills with an average of 4.5 per game and a hitting percentage of .351. None of those kills would have come as easily without the setting of Thompson who leads the nation in assist with an average of 14.4 per game. [HTML_REMOVED]

"Their leadership, their example has been unbelievable," McLaughlin said. "As a hitter I can use Christal as the model and she is still improving her game. Courtney is the same way: Her work ethic, her focus, her attention to detail and the way she competes everyday, is a wonderful example for the young kids."[HTML_REMOVED]

The "young kids" -- the freshman and underclassmen on the team -- are expected to almost relearn the sport because of the vast differences between the college and high school game. [HTML_REMOVED]

"A lot is expected of the younger players, but they are great people and great players and they're kicking butt," Thompson said. "When I started out as a freshman it was like I had never played volleyball before. I was so bad. It is such a different game than the high school game."[HTML_REMOVED]

Everyone will have plenty to learn as the team enters conference play. The Pac-10 is arguably the most skilled conference for volleyball in the nation with five teams ranked in the top ten. The Huskies have a challenging road ahead of them as they fight to defend their national championship. [HTML_REMOVED]

"I'm excited; it's going to be great," Morrison said. "In Pac-10 play, every single weekend you have got to bring your A-game otherwise you will get knocked off the map."[HTML_REMOVED]

All the work in practice and non-conference games will be put to test over the next month against the team's Pac-10 rivals.