ESPN to televise Pac-12 volleyball matches

SAN FRANCISCO - Three Pac-12 volleyball matches will be televised on ESPNU during the 2017 campaign, the Conference office announced today. All three matches include teams that earned NCAA Tournament berths last year, including two matches with NCAA Champion STANFORD. The three ESPNU matches are in addition to the 87 matches that will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks this season.

The ESPNU slate begins with a matchup between crosstown rivals USC and UCLA on Sept. 20. The Bruins will host the Trojans in the first week of the conference slate. UCLA swept the series last year but the two matches went four and five sets, respectively.

OREGON hosts the NCAA Champion Cardinal on Oct. 6. The Ducks will look to avenge a 3-0 loss to Stanford last season.

The Cardinal wraps up the ESPNU schedule hosting the defending Pac-12 regular-season champion WASHINGTON on Oct. 19. Stanford was second in the Pac-12 standings last season behind the Huskies by just one match, but the Cardinal swept the series last year.

The matches highlight a 90-match television schedule, marking the fifth season in a row of at least 90 televised Pac-12 volleyball matches. The Conference, which leads all other conferences with 15 NCAA titles all-time, had another outstanding season with eight teams earning postseason berths, marking the 17th-consecutive season at least six teams made trips to the NCAA Tournament. Stanford, which is tied for the all-time lead in NCAA volleyball titles, helped the Pac-12 become the first conference to win 500 NCAA titles during the 2016-17 campaign.

Visit pac-12.com for a full season schedule, including a schedule of the television broadcasts on ESPNU and Pac-12 Networks.

Wednesday, Sept. 20 - USC at UCLA, 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT (ESPNU)
Friday, Oct. 6 - Stanford at Oregon, 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT (ESPNU)
Thursday, Oct. 19 - Washington at Stanford, 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT (ESPNU)