Let the longtime rivalries resume! Conference season gets underway this week in women's college volleyball, and some perfect records may be in jeopardy. Here are five things to take note of this week in the world of sets, kills, blocks and digs.
1. Pac-12 challenges
USC has been on the climb since the season began, opening at No. 22 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and moving to No. 3 last week. The 12-0 Trojans held steady at that spot when the poll came out Monday, sitting behind Penn State and Texas. But now is when things can get rather tricky for USC and the rest of the Pac-12.
The league begins its conference season with its geographic rivalries, which is a great way to get the pot boiling right off the bat. It starts with No. 8 Stanford at Cal on Tuesday, followed by USC vs. No. 13 UCLA on Wednesday, and then a tripleheader of state bragging-rights matchups on Thursday.
No. 7 Arizona State hosts No. 14 Arizona, No. 6 Washington travels to Washington State, and No. 18 Oregon is at Oregon State. The Sun Devils and the Huskies join USC with perfect records thus far; the Cougars and the Bruins each have one loss.
USC senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio continues to leave craters in the floor, figuratively speaking, with 5.03 kills per set, which is fourth in the nation and first among major-conference schools. She has 191 total kills, 93 digs, 26 blocks and 33 service aces, and is putting herself in the discussion for national player of the year.
But let's give a shout-out, too, to the Trojans' two setters: freshman Baylee Johnson and junior Alice Pizzasegola. USC recruited Johnson right from the heart of Big Ten territory: Dayton, Ohio. And we'll let you guess where Pizzasegola is from. Surely you said Italy, right? Specifically, Rivergaro, which is in the province of Piacenza, in the northwestern part of the country.
Johnson, who finished high school last December, enrolled at USC for second semester and took part in spring workouts and exhibitions. She's started every match this fall, averaging 6.84 assists per set (260 total), with 34 kills and 92 digs. Pizzasegola is averaging 5.39 assists per set (205 total).
2. Duel in the desert
About that Sun Devils-Wildcats matchup, which is at Thursday at 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) in Tempe, Arizona. Last Friday, espnW featured ASU outside hitter Macey Gardner, and she had a big weekend, highlighted by the Sun Devils' five-set victory over then-No. 6 Illinois. Gardner had 22 kills, 15 digs and five solo blocks against the Illini.
At 11-0, the Sun Devils are off to their best start in the NCAA era of women's athletics, which started in 1981. The program's only better start was 21-0 in 1973, when most collegiate women's sports were just launching.
No team wants to hand ASU its first loss more than the 10-2 Wildcats, who have their own big hitter in Kalei Mau (4.26 kills per set, 162 total).
3. Badgers battling in Big Ten
Wisconsin has gone from a tie for fifth in the preseason poll to No. 16 this week after the Badgers' second loss in 2015, to Arkansas. And it won't get easier for the Badgers to start Big Ten play. They open at No. 1 Penn State on Wednesday, then travel to No. 12 Ohio State on Sunday.
As for the Nittany Lions, after hosting the Badgers and No. 21 Minnesota this week, they'll host No. 4 Nebraska on Oct. 2.
4. SEC reset
Missouri leads the SEC at 12-0 going into league season, but the Tigers' nonconference schedule has not impressed the poll voters. The Tigers are not only unranked, they are not even getting any votes.
While several SEC schools, including No. 5 Florida, start conference play this week, Missouri won't have its first league match until Sept. 30, at home. And if the Tigers win that one, there's a pretty good chance they'll jump into the rankings. That's because it's against the Gators.
5. Keep an eye on ... Long Beach State
This week, the 49ers joined fellow Big West team Hawaii in the AVCA poll. The Rainbow Wahine are No. 11, while the 49ers (10-3) entered the rankings at No. 25. Long Beach State beat San Diego and Oregon State over the weekend while falling to UCLA.
You have to figure the Big West race again will be between the Wahine and the 49ers. Last year, Long Beach State took the conference crown with a 16-0 record. In the 2015 preseason league coaches' poll, Hawaii was picked first, with the 49ers second.
Their meetings this season are Oct. 11 in Honolulu and Nov. 6 in Long Beach.