Despite their struggles, there are no breaks for the WSU volleyball team. Needing to shake off their third-straight loss, the Cougs are back in action at noon Sunday as they take on Cal.
WSU volleyball (18-6, 8-5 Pac-12), losers of five of their last eight, take on Cal (15-9, 4-9) next.
The Golden Bears have lost five of their 13 Pac-12 matches in sweeps, including the last matchup against WSU, which two programs played in Pullman Oct. 6.
WSU played some of their most effective volleyball of the season during that match, with only two total lead changes in the entire match, both happening in the first set very early on, with the Cougs dominating the rest of the way.
Argentina Ung had the best performance on the side of WSU against Cal in their first matchup as she put up 34 assists, five kills, one ace, two digs, two blocks and a match-leading .833% hitting. Her sets set up her teammates for success and the results speak for themselves. As a team, the Cougs hit .417% with a side-out percentage of 75%, numbers that will always lead to wins.
With her 34 assists, the ball got spread around the offense at great lengths. No one player dominated the stat sheet, something that certainly benefited in confusing the Cal defense. Katy Ryan led the Cougs alongside Magda Jehlárová with 10 kills each, with Ryan hitting .412% and Jehlárová hitting .500%.
Given their recent struggles, a repeat of their domination of the Golden Bears would do wonders for their momentum the rest of the way.
Against Stanford, WSU started strong in the early sets, something they have been able to do with certainty recently. But, like recently, they faded off as the match progressed.
In the first set, they hit .464% as a team, they faltered off every set after. In that first set, through the first 39 points, the Cougs were without an attack error. After hitting .333% in the second set, they hit just .125% in set three and .054% in the final set.
Cal, in their recent match, played close in the first two sets, in which the teams split, but hit -0.172% in the third set and .089% in the final set.
Standout freshman Maggie Li has been one of the best, if not the best, youngsters in the entire Conference. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter from Beijing, China, is averaging 3.95 kills per set on some efficient hitting at .228%. Adding to her 348 kills on the season, she has 29 aces, 219 digs and 24 blocks. Her talents and production right off the bat are similar to two of the Cougs very own, Jehlárová and Pia Timmer.
The two vets play the youngster at noon Sunday in Berkeley, California, with the Cougs looking to sweep the season series like they swept in Pullman.
