Fayetteville’s Ella May Powell leads Washington into volleyball’s final four.
Fayetteville native Ella May Powell didn’t have words to describe the feeling of being a member of one of the final four teams left standing in this year’s women’s volleyball NCAA Tournament.
Under normal circumstances, the Pac-12 Setter of the Year wouldn’t have even been on the floor after suffering a knee injury in the fall that put her out for four months. But with the season being shifted to the spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, Powell returned to lead the University of Washington to its first national semifinal appearance since 2013.
“It’s been surreal,” Powell said on a Zoom call on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’ve always dreamed of being on this stage, and I didn’t really picture it going like this. It’s amazing, and I have nothing but gratitude and excitement to be here, especially in a year like this.”
Powell and the Huskies (20-3) have won three consecutive five-set matches in the NCAA Tournament, including back-to-back matches in less than 24 hours. The Pac-12 champions put together a 10-2 run in the fifth set to turn an 11-5 deficit into a 15-13 win to edge Louisville, then shook off a slow start to win three consecutive sets against Pittsburgh.
The No. 6-seeded Huskies now take on Kentucky, the No. 2 seed, at 6 p.m. Thursday in the first of two national semifinals in Omaha, Neb.
Powell’s leadership has been a key to the Huskies’ ability to overcome adversity in the tournament.
“You have to have a lot of composure to do what these kids do and she’s at the center of it,” Washington volleyball Coach Keegan Cook said. “She’s always had a competitive edge in her career. The best of it you’ve seen, and our group has been on board and they’ll compete against anybody with that kid leading.”
The two-time Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year earned third-team All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association last season. Cook said both Powell and the team have fought through adversity to get to within a match of playing for a national title.
“Then early in January, we weren’t looking too hot,” Cook said. “That first month of the season and she was still recovering. But she showed a lotta grit to get through that and then to improve as the season’s gone on.”
The 6-0 junior put together a strong all-around effort in the regional final with 48 assists, 14 digs, 5 blocks and 3 aces. Her five-point service run in the fifth set helped the Huskies to a 6-1 lead en route to the 15-9 victory.
Powell’s first major injury in her volleyball career took her out of action for four months. However, the timing couldn’t have been better with the season being shifted to the spring.
“It definitely worked out for the best,” said Powell, who led Fayetteville to three state titles. “It wasn’t exactly how I envisioned my fall going, especially if we were gonna have a season then. But everything happens for a reason, and I’m thankful we got to play in the spring and it worked out for me.”