Two non-conference matches remain on the schedule for the 2024 WSU volleyball team. The Cougs (4-3, 0-0 WCC) split their previous weekend against Washington and UC Davis and now start their final non-conference road schedule against a struggling CSUN (3-5, 0-0 Big Sky) team.
CSUN picked up victories against San Diego State and San Francisco in five-set matches as well as sweeping California Baptist in their most recent outing.
In the all-time series, WSU has won all three contests, with Thursday being the first time since 2009 the two will face off. All three of the matches in the series were played in a two season span, with the Cougs improving each match, dropping three total sets.
This season, Cougs are on a strong stretch. Despite dropping the Apple Cup over the weekend, they have won four of their last five matches, beating the aforementioned UC Davis team, as well as Eastern Washington twice and Nebraska at Omaha.
Despite general success, dominance evades WSU. Four of their matches have gone the distance, with the Cougs performing well in their nutrition, going 3-1 in those matches. There other three matches have gone four sets, with the team avoiding being swept but equally failing to put a team away in a sweep.
Katy Ryan has exactly 100 kills on the season, leading the team with an average of 3.13 kills per set. Not far behind, Sage Brustad has averaged 3.06 kills per set on the young season.
Led by that duo, the Cougs have been more aggressive than their opponents through seven matches. Totalling 370 total kills, they’ve also committed 205 attack errors. Both more than their opposition of 360 and 154, respectively.
The aggressive playstyle has led to a hitting percentage of just .142%, but with the aggression continuing at the service line, they also have 50 aces on the season.
A big boom or bust playstyle has led the Cougs to their 4-3 record. Big runs can be harder to come by, by there is not a set the team will be completely out of.
Defensively, Emma Barbero has continued a strong start. Winning the initial WCC Defensive Player of the Week, she has 142 digs through seven matches, just barely keeping her pace of 20 digs per match.
In five of the seven matches, she has surpassed that mark, highlighted by a 27-dig performance against Omaha. The two times she fell below it were the second match against Eastern (18) and the loss to UW (7).
WSU and CSUN face off at 6 p.m. Thursday in Northridge, California, streaming is available on ESPN+.
