Cougs best Buffaloes in the wild and on the court 

WSU keeps postseason hopes strong with win 

COLE QUINN

WSU middle blocker Magda Jehlarova spikes the ball during an NCAA volleyball match against Utah, Nov. 18.

BRANDON WILLMAN, Multimedia editor

WSU volleyball (21-9, 13-6 Pac-12) increased their tournament bid odds with another big win at home during their final home stretch. 

Taking on the Colorado Buffaloes (18-10, 10-8), the Cougs rightfully took care of business in a 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-19, 25-11) win. While they will not be fighting for a conference championship at this point, every win is vital to guarantee they get into the NCAA Tournament. 

The offense was clicking and the team looked strong, especially during the dominant fourth set, where after an early back-and-forth, WSU took control and never looked back. 

As a whole, the team hit an astonishing .373, one of their higher tallies in conference play. The defense was not left out, as the team had 13 blocks and 45 digs, making the performance great all-around.

Thirteen kills were the highest tally that the team has put up in conference play this season, proving that their previous loss to the Buffs was more of a fluke than anything. 

For the Cougs, Magda Jehlarova once again proved why she is one of the most dominant hitters in the entire conference. Leading the team in kills with 16 is nothing compared to the .714 hitting percentage she could put up. 

Having only a single error on 21 total attacks was key to the high percentage and overall, Jehlarova played great. On top of her team lead in kills, she led in blocks with eight and even had a dig. 

With several key performances late, she is turning up the heat at the best possible time for Wazzu. 

The hitters outside of Jehlarova did their fair share as well. Pia Timmer had 15 kills and a .419 hit percentage, a stat line that would be the highlight of most other matches and Laura Jansen withstood early mistakes to tally 12 kills on .269 hitting.

On top of her 15 kills, Timmer had 10 digs, good for yet another double-double in her storied career. 

Only one other WSU player had a double-double in the match, as Argentina Ung had 42 assists and 10 digs. Although a setter, Ung got it done with her attacks, as she had seven kills on .333 hitting. 

Both the Buffs and Cougs would have six service aces and service errors, respectively, so in the end, it came down to the play between the lines. Despite their first meeting, the Cougs are the better team and it showed on Sunday. 

With the win, the Cougs can be assured that they all but guarantee themselves a bid into the NCAA Tournament. If this is the case, it is huge for the team that holds a ton of tenured players whose experience could be the difference in making a deep postseason run.