After three weekends of Pac-12 play, five teams stand out as not only above the rest of the Conference, but near the top of the college volleyball world. The Pac-12 has five teams in the top 30 of AVCA rankings and three teams in the top five, showcasing their top talent as some of the best.
The upcoming weekend slate of matchups has some interesting matchups at the top with upset potential, but after three weekends, here is how the Pac-12 stacks up:
No. 3 Stanford (13-2, 6-0 Pac-12)
After taking down WSU in Bohler despite “The Block” forcing them into 19 service errors, the Cardinal rightfully sit alone atop the Conference standings. Kendall Kipp is second in the Pac-12 in kills per set at 4.33 and fourth in aces per set at 0.43, building off her Pac-12 Player of the Year designation from 2022.
Kami Miner leads in the conference assists per set at 11.94, proving to be the clear best setter that the Pac-12 has to offer.
They play USC in their next matchup, a sneaky team with a lot of power in the arm of their best hitter, Skylar Fields.
No. 19 Arizona State (17-1, 5-1)
Despite losing the active Pac-12 leader in career kills, Iman Isanovic, to the transfer portal and WSU, the Sun Devils have not missed a step and even look better than last year. With a win over USC and Cal, they have beaten some above-average teams in the Conference but still need that defining win.
Stanford swept Arizona State, but they match up with Oregon Sunday on the road looking for a big win.
Their best player in 2023 has been Marta Levinska, who is averaging 4.23 kills per set while hitting .358% as one of the best opposites in the Conference.
No. 5 Oregon (15-2, 5-1)
Despite losing to WSU at home, Oregon is looking like the definite third-best team in the Pac-12. With Kara McGhee challenging Magda Jehlárová for best middle blocker in Conference with .429% attacking and 1.42 block per set, the Ducks are no quiet foe.
No. 4 WSU (15-2, 5-1)
The Cougs nearly pulled off a miraculous win over Stanford at home, but even with the loss, they can control their destiny in the conference. Winning out is not out of the question with how talented this squad is, but time will only tell.
With a collection of some of the best talent in the Conference, the Coug’s *Cougs’ goal is to host during the NCAA Tournament to showcase “The Block” and their new court.
No. 30 USC (11-5, 5-1)
Fields has been one of the most productive hitters in the nation as she leads the Pac-12 with 5.02 kills per set and 321 total kills. It is the same production she has had, as she led the conference in 2022 with her 598 kills.
Only losing to Arizona State, the Trojans have already had four conference matches go the full five sets, proving that their 5-1 record could easily look much more lopsided, but they seem to have a clutch factor.
Utah (8-8, 3-3)
The Utes have been up and down to start the season, evidenced by their .500% record. A close loss to USC, a five-set win over Cal and taking a set-off Oregon prove they are on the brink of figuring it out, but it will get tough with matches against WSU and UW over the weekend.
The biggest downfall of the team is their lowest hitting percentage in the Pac-12 at .206%, but their defense ranks in the top half of the conference.
Washington (11-6, 2-4)
UW took sets off Oregon, Arizona State, and Stanford, but it has only picked up wins against Oregon State and Cal. They have some talented players, but they have not correlated to meaningful stories. Looking at their matches with Utah and Colorado, they can either sink or swim up the standings.
Colorado (10-7, 2-4)
The Buffaloes have been swept three times in Conference play already and are expected to lose against the two Washington teams. Their two wins came against Utah and Oregon State, but their play has been far from awe-inspiring.
California (12-5, 1-5)
Led by standout freshman Maggie Li, who sits second in kills at 263 and Tara DeSa, who leads the conference digging at 4.49 digs per set and 283 total, Cal has some talent but the team as a whole has not been performing well. Li will quickly become one of the best players in the Pac-12, but she will not be able to carry the team too far in 2023.
UCLA (9-7, 1-5)
The Bruins’ sole win came against Colorado, a 3-0 sweep on their home court, but other than that, this UCLA team has been outmatched.
Arizona (6-11, 1-5)
Arizona has taken two sets off WSU and USC but has one lonely win over UCLA. Especially on their home court, the Wildcats play up to their competition.
Oregon State (5-11, 0-6)
Despite being the best friends of WSU, the Beavers have struggled out of the gates. Losing the first three matches of the season in sweeps to Oregon, USC and WSU, the Beavers won a set-off Washington and then took two sets off Colorado.
If they continue this trend, a win is right around the corner for the middling Beavs.
