After starting the year traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, the Cougs volleyball team are set to return back to the newly-renovated Bohler Gym. While the upcoming Cougar Invitational does not feature any top-25 matchup like against the then-No. 4 ranked Louisville, the trio of teams coming to Pullman are not pushovers.
After their opening weekend, No. 17 WSU volleyball (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) climbed four spots from their initial No. 21 ranking. Taking down Wright State and Troy in sweeps and looking strong at times against No. 3 Louisville, the Cougs look to build upon that momentum against Northwestern State, Drake and Tulsa.
Northwestern State (0-4) has only picked up a single set through their first four games, coming in their opener against Eastern Kentucky. On Monday, UCLA swept the Lady Deacons for their fourth loss of the season and they lack any substantial momentum entering the match with WSU.
WSU and Northwestern State have one match in their history, a 2015 match played in Lubbock, Texas, that saw the Cougs win in a convincing 3-0 sweep.
After a break following their match against Northwestern State, the Cougs return to the court later in the day against Drake (0-3). While the two schools have never faced off against one another, the Cougs have looked stronger to begin the year.
Rounding out the weekend is the toughest matchup against Tulsa (1-1). Their win this year came against Michigan State 3-1 (27-25, 10-25, 25-18, 25-19) and their loss against No. 25 Arkansas in a sweep. Tulsa is the clear best non-WSU team coming to Pullman, proving themselves to put up a fight against ranked opponents.
Aiding in favor of the Golden Hurricanes is that they won in the other matchup between the two programs. A 2010 sweep for Tulsa in San Francisco is something that the 2023 WSU squad looks to avenge on their program record.
The outsides will lead the weekend charge, as Iman Isanovic, Pia Timmer and Katy Ryan proved vital over the weekend in Louisville. Ryan especially stood out, as her performance led to her being named to the 2023 Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team.
In the opening weekend, she had 30 kills on a .471 hitting percentage, with 31.5 total points accounted for, leading the team in their wins and being a bright spot in the loss to No. 3 Louisville.
Magda Jehlárová is another name to look out for throughout the 2023 season, as she is on record watch for several program and Conference records. She is nine total blocks away from becoming WSU’s all-time leader in the category, her most feasible record to break this weekend.
The Cougar Invitational starts noon Friday against Northwestern State and continues into that night with a 7:30 p.m. start against Drake. WSU rounds out the weekend with a 6 p.m. start against Tulsa.
