In the closest match that the Cougs volleyball team has been a part of in the 2023 season, the team outlasted a gritty Arizona team to win their second straight Conference match and extended their current win streak to 11 matches.
WSU (12-1, 2-0 Pac-12) proved that Cougs hunt better than Wildcats as they took down Arizona (5-8, 0-2) in a five-set thriller 3-2 (23-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-6). WSU had rough moments but proved they have the stamina to close out long matches.
Despite hitting an impressive .323% clip as a team in the first set, Arizona proved to be a formidable opponent despite their record and took down the highly-ranked Cougs 25-23. The Wildcats hit an insane .538% in the first set, feeding into the energy of the over 2,000 in attendance.
In set two, seven ties and five lead changes set the tone for a big 27-25 win for WSU that meant they avoided having to win in a reverse sweep on the road. It was the set with the most ties and lead changes of all five, despite Arizona taking the third set, which felt like the difference between winning and losing for the Cougs.
In the fifth set, it was all WSU all the time. After taking set four 25-18 and finally looking like their true selves, the Cougs went on a 4-0 run after dropping the first point of the final set. Another 4-0 run after a couple of back-and-forth points made it 9-3, then they ended the match on a 5-0 run to take the 15-6 set victory and 3-2 match victory.
Everyone on the team looked slightly weaker than normal, but Pia Timmer stepped up big to lead the team to victory. She had 17 kills on the match on .333% hitting, adding six digs, three service aces and one block.
Katy Ryan (12 kills, .364% hitting) and Iman Isanovic (10, .182%) were the only other two to reach double digits, with Magda Jehlárová getting close with nine kills on top of her seven blocks, which included two solo blocks. Finally, Argentina Ung had 41 assists, eight digs and six blocks, picking up five kills as well to help fuel the offense.
After the close call the Cougs have a couple of days off before hitting the road again. Next up is the battle of the Pac-12 as at 7 p.m. Thursday, the Cougs take on Oregon State in Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.
