Three matches in five days against Pac-12 Conference opponents are on the docket for the Cougs. Two of the three are rematches and one is against a new opponent from California. 

No. 25 WSU volleyball (19-8, 11-5 Pac-12) is riding off a two-match road trip against the Arizona Pac-12 schools, where they were able to take both matches convincingly. Now, coming back home, they are set to host Utah (15-12, 8-8), Colorado (17-9, 9-7) and UCLA (14-11, 8-8). 

First up, the Cougs host the Utes at 7 p.m. on Friday at Bohler Gym. It is the second match against the team this season, as on the road, the Cougs were able to squeak out a win, 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 27-25). 

Being back home in Bohler will keep WSU favored to win against the Utes, as they have been performing above expectations this season. Since 2003, the Cougs have been 5-4 in Bohler against Utah and hope to keep their winning ways going.

Laura Jansen led the way in the first matchup between the two schools with 20 kills and a hitting percentage of .394. Katy Ryan had 13 kills on .407 hitting, alongside eight blocks. 

Their second stretch match is against Colorado (17-9, 9-7) at noon on Saturday, still in Pullman. 

The last time these two matched up was a rough outing for the Cougs. Being predicted to take home the win, they looked flat and lost 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 15-25, 25-9). WSU was only able to win one set, but that was more due to the poor play of the Buffaloes rather than Wazzu playing better. 

Since 1999, the two squads have played equal matches in Washington and in Colorado and the records are mirrors of each other. The Cougs are 8-3 at home and 3-8 on the road, if this trend were to continue, then WSU will easily take the win on Saturday. 

The Buffaloes have lost two of their last three matches, falling to both Stanford and Oregon but sweeping Oregon State in their most recent matchup.

It will be a close match, but being at home will put the Cougs over the hump to take the win. 

Finally, WSU will take on the UCLA Bruins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Bohler Gym.

It will be the first meeting between the two schools of the season, which is probably a good thing for the Cougs as they do not have the most successful track record against the school. 

In 41 total matches, WSU has only been the victor in seven. The one silver lining is in the fact that since 2017, in 10 matches the Cougs are 4-6 and held a three-match win streak during that time. 

In the previous match between the two schools, WSU held a 2-1 lead before eventually falling in five sets. This match was played at UCLA and showed that over the past few years the Cougs have closed the gap significantly. 

UCLA is currently struggling for the year and WSU is ranked No. 25, pointing to a 3-0 week for the Cougs being imminent. 

Players to look out for: 

Katy Ryan – A hit-or-miss player so far this season, Ryan has had several dominant performances and when she plays well, the Cougs usually win. 

Argentina Ung – the swiss army knife of the Cougs leads the offense.