This week’s Unsung Coug of the Week is Katy Ryan, Wazzu’s senior volleyball star who recently recorded her 1,000th career kill.

The kill came on Oct. 6 in a loss at Pepperdine. It was her 176th of the season.

Ryan has put together an impressive year so far as a leader on the Cougs front line. She is averaging 3.09 kills per set, a career-high mark, and is on pace to set a new career-high in kills as a senior. In 2022, she notched 294 kills, but if she continues to play at her current pace she will surpass 300 kills before the season ends.

Tallying 32 digs, Ryan has also improved defensively and is on pace to easily surpass her previous career high of 48 in 2021. Her ten solo blocks are already the most in a single season of her career.

Ryan was a member of the 2022 team that made a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament when she was a sophomore.

The Idaho native is a two-time All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and was also selected to the U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Volleyball Team in 2022.

Ryan has never missed a start since she arrived at WSU in 2021. She has been a steady presence on the team’s front line, and her steady improvement has turned her into one of the top volleyball players in WSU history.

Ryan still has a handful of games remaining to continue building on her legacy at WSU. She ranks 10th in school history with 1,166 points. She remains 253 kills from reaching the top 10 in kills, meaning she would need a historic final stretch of games to climb that high in the history books.

Ryan’s career .271 attack percentage ranks eighth in school history. She is also close to entering the top 10 in matches played. She will need to play 17 more matches, which she will achieve if she stays healthy for the rest of the season.

Despite dropping the match three sets to one against Pepperdine, WSU Volleyball has something to celebrate in Katy Ryan.