Two weeks into the NCAA volleyball season, here's what's happening in the world of digs, kills and blocks.
Strong start for Bruins
Five years ago UCLA reached the pinnacle of the sport but hasn't been close since, missing the postseason in 2013 and losing in the the regional semifinals the last two years.
Perhaps 2016 is the year the Bruins, picked to finish second to Stanford in the Pac-12, return to elite status. UCLA is ranked seventh in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
Behind seniors Jordan Anderson, Claire Felix and Taylor Formico, UCLA is 6-0, off to its best start since winning the national championship. The Bruins won three matches last week to take the Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu.
The Bruins defeated Pacific and Missouri State before punctuating the weekend with a sweep of the host, No. 14 Hawaii. Anderson's 39 kills were a tournament high with junior Reily Buechler right behind her with 36.
A note on the Rainbow Wahine: senior Nikki Taylor, a second-team All-American a year ago, returned to the lineup after missing Hawaii's first two matches after dislocating her elbow in preseason. Starting middle blocker Annie Mitchem remains sidelined after breaking her left pinkie on Aug. 9.
Despite Hawaii's loss, Taylor was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. UCLA's Jennie Frager, with 27 kills and 16 assisted blocks in the three games, and Anderson also earned all-tournament honors.
Tar Heels keep rolling
On the heels of a banner opening weekend, ACC preseason favorite North Carolina downed Duke and TCU to stay perfect.
North Carolina (5-0) opened the season with a rare upset of Penn State in the Nittany Lions' home gym in a five-set thriller. It was only the 15th time ever that a nonconference opponent left Rec Hall a winner.
Freshmen continue to play in integral role in North Carolina's success.
Playing across town in Durham, the Tar Heels posted their first 20-block outing in a decade behind freshman Sydnye Fields with 15 block assists, a school single-match record.
As a team, the Tar Heels recorded 21 stuffs and 38 block assists, also a school record.
Outside hitter Julia Scoles, MVP of the Penn State Classic and ACC freshman of the week after opening weekend, amassed 31 kills against Duke and TCU, which continues to receives votes in the national poll.
"[This freshman class is] learning a lot so early in their careers," coach Joe Sagula said. "To get this experience and know how to fight through it is going to pay off later in the season. For Sydnye, as a freshman, to do what she did, it's fantastic. It just means a lot for their future. The future for Carolina volleyball over the next few years looks good, because they'll all be back."
For good measure, the sweep of TCU was the 1,000th win in Tar Heels' history.
No. 11 North Carolina will test its mettle this weekend, facing No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 5 Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Meanwhile, Penn State is still struggling
The skid continues for Penn State (2-3), which has seemingly gone from bad to worse after falling to North Carolina on opening weekend in State College.
The Nittany Lions dropped a pair over the weekend, falling to Colorado and No. 9 Stanford in the Big 10/Pac-12 Challenge in Boulder, Colorado. Penn State dropped four spots to No. 17 in the latest poll, and the victory lifted the Buffaloes (4-1) into the poll at No. 18.
Through five games, Penn State is still struggling to replace the offense generated by graduated stars Megan Courtney and Aiyana Whitney.
Penn State extended the Buffaloes to five but was outdone 15-3 in the final set, the lowest output for the Nittany Lions in a set since rally scoring began in 2001. It was Colorado's first victory over Penn State since 1989, and the Buffaloes capped the weekend with a win over Illinois.
No. 9 Stanford swept Penn State the next night in a matchup featuring two of the most storied teams in the sport with 13 national titles between them. It was the first sweep for the Cardinals over the Nittany Lions since 2010, and it came behind eight aces, including four from sophomore Hayley Hodson. Penn State was without an ace and committed nine service errors.
Penn State has not had more than one loss through the first five games of the season since 1993, when the Nittany Lions were 3-2 following back-to-back losses to Nebraska and UCLA. Penn State finished 1993 at 31-5 and reached the final four that year. Penn State has not been 2-3 since 1980, when the Nittany Lions finished 34-11.
USC revival; Santa Clara arrival
Not only was it a good weekend for UCLA and Stanford, No. 24 USC is back on track, rebounding from an 0-3 start to even its record. The Women of Troy swept then-No. 23 Kentucky, beat Northern Iowa in four and survived Creighton in five to win the USC Radisson Classic.
But flying under the radar in the west is Santa Clara, off to its best start at 6-0 since 2005, the most successful year in school history when the team reached the final four. The Broncos, already with a victory over USC, upset Louisville on its home court and finished off Auburn and Stony Brook in the Active Ankle Challenge over the weekend.
Santa Clara limited the defending ACC champs to .153 hitting. Meanwhile, Jensen Cunningham hit .440 for the match and .486 for the weekend to be named tournament MVP.
The Broncos debuted in the poll this week at No. 19.
Joining good company
Tampa coach Chris Catanach notched his 1,000th career win when the Division II Spartans swept Franklin Pierce on Friday.
Catanach is the third Division II coach to reach that milestone and eighth among coaches in all divisions. Navy's Larry Bock is the sports winningest coach with 1,308 victories and Peggy Martin (Central Missouri/Spring Hill) is second with 1,255.
Penn State's Russ Rose is third overall (1,191), and Hawaii's Dave Shoji is fourth (1,182).