Three players made their WSU debuts and the offense led the way for a solid start to the 2023 WSU volleyball season. Winning nearly every individual statistical battle, the Cougs nearly quadrupled the Wright State offense in hitting percentage.
The No. 21 PNW WSU (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) bested another WSU in Wright State (0-1) in a clean sweep 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-21) despite the Raiders keeping it close throughout. Although challenging, the Cougs were stronger in almost every aspect of play. They started play at 1 p.m. and it played on a neutral site at the L&H Federal Credit Union Arena in Louisville, Kentucky.
Iman Isanovic, Lana Radakovic and Emma Barbero all made their first appearances of their careers in the Crimson and Gray, with Radakovic and Isanovic playing in all three sets.
WSU had 52 kills as a team on 99 attacks while committing just 10 errors and a hit percentage of .424, nearly four times higher than Wright State’s .116. The Cougs also came out better than their opposition in digs (48-34), assists (50-30) and blocks (8-1).
Of the players with at least 10 attacks for WSU, all five hit at least .400, with Katy Ryan and Radakovic hitting above .500. Pia Timmer led the way in total kills with 12 while Jehlárová had the most total blocks with five. Louisville native Karly Basham had the most digs on the team with 17 while also adding two aces to her impressive WSU career tally of 73 now.
Argentina Ung continues her reign as one of the most underrated players and a great all-around threat in the Pac-12 Conference, as the setter had 40 assists on the game, adding three kills, eight digs and two total blocks.
In the first set, things remained close for the first 15 points recorded, with the Cougs holding a narrow lead 8-7. Then a Jehlárová kill off an Ung assist sparked a 6-0 run for the Cougs to take a 14-7 lead and hold momentum through the end of the set.
The Cougs took that first set, only allowing six more total points, winning 25-13. WSU hit .394 during the set while making just three attacking errors, being extremely efficient early. Defensively, the team also had 22 digs, most of any set in the sweep.
Set two had a similar vibe to the first.Wright State remained close for the first 17 points recorded until WSU went on a 6-0 run to take a commanding 16-7 set lead. Again, the Cougs showed their ability to maintain their lead, winning the set 25-16 to get triple match point.
While offensively, the Cougs had a slightly lower attack percentage of .364 due to committing two extra attack errors on their first set, Ung’s assists paved the way to the comfortable set win.
Weronika Wojdyla and Jehlárová both notched their first solo blocks of the season during the second set, although the team allowed Wright State to achieve a .125 increase in hitting percentage between the first two sets.
Through the first two sets, Ryan was the most efficient on the team. She led the way with eight kills and zero errors on 10 attacks.
With a chance to close out the season opener in a sweep, WSU fought hard to secure the win with a 25-21 win in set three. Tied as late as 14-14, a quick 4-0 run to take the 18-14 lead propelled the Cougs to the win.
“I think for the most part we played pretty clean,” head coach Jen Greeny said to WSU Athletics. ” This is a great Wright State team with a lot of success under their belt. I think in the first two sets especially, we really got on a roll. Offensively, Argentina did a fantastic job with distribution and trying to get everyone involved. I think Wright State made some adjustments coming out in the third set which we thought they would. We expected them to play a tight match so it was good for us to have to make some of our own adjustments in that third set.”
Although Wright State kept it close for the first half of every set, the experience and poise of the Cougs became too much to handle for the Raiders.
WSU had their best showing yet offensively in the third set, hitting an insane .515 as a team, with all 19 attacks having an assist attached. The offensive showing stood out all around, with everyone getting involved and the chemistry being on point.
Looking to continue their good start to the year, the Cougs have a daunting task ahead. The first serve is at 4 p.m. tomorrow as WSU takes on No. 4 Lousiville on their home court of L&H Federal Credit Union Arena.
