Carson High graduate Kaitlin Leck and No. 7 seeded Washington have advanced to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament's Elite Eight.
Washington (27-2) defeated No. 10-seed Saint Mary's (25-4) in straight sets this evening in the NCAA Regional Semifinal in front of 4,252 fans at Bank of America Arena. The victory propels Washington to its third-ever Regional Championship and second in a row. The Elite Eight appearance ties Washington's best-ever NCAA postseason run. Game scores were 30-20, 30-20, 30-20.
The Huskies will face No. 15-seed UCLA (21-10) in the Regional Championship today at 7 p.m. The match will air taped delayed on FSN Northwest at 10:30 p.m. today and at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Dish Network subscribers receive FSN Northwest on Channel 426.
The Bruins upset No. 2-seed Penn State in semifinal action earlier this evening in four games. Washington faced UCLA twice during the Pac-10 season, defeating the Bruins both times by the score of 3-1. The winner of today's match will advance to the Final Four to be held next weekend in Long Beach, Calif.
The left-handed Leck, a senior and 2001 CHS graduate, helped lead the Husky attack with 15 kills, hitting .385.
In other NCAA tournament action, Douglas High graduate Emily Haas and San Diego was eliminated by two-time defending national champion USC in four games, 26-330, 20-330, 30-25, 20-30. Haas had 12 kills and four blocks for San Diego.