Opposite Katy Ryan and middle blocker Lucie Blažková won WCC Player of the Week awards this week, marking the first time two Cougs won in the same week this season.
Ryan, who won Offensive Player of the Week, is in the midst of a season in which she is racking up accolades that cap off a historic career for WSU. After reaching 1,000 career kills against Pepperdine on Oct. 6, Ryan finished this week with 47 kills and 50.5 points, as well as a .471 hitting percentage. Ryan led the team in kills in both wins this past week, with 17 against Pacific and a career-high 30 against Saint Mary’s. She was instrumental in the reverse sweep of Saint Mary’s leading the way for the team’s highest kill output of the season at 75 total kills.
The senior opposite has put herself into the program history books this season and is on pace to do so in more statistical categories as well. Ryan has reached the 10th spot for all-time points in WSU history and is sixth on the all-time list for career-hitting percentage. She is also on pace to crack the all-time matches played and sets played lists and is 206 kills away from the top 10 in career kills.
Head coach Korey Schroeder praised Ryan’s efforts this week and specifically noted her 30-kill performance against Saint Mary’s.
“Katy [Ryan] is more than deserving with the numbers she has put up,” Schroeder said, “honestly one of the best individual performances I’ve witnessed in the last probably 5, 10 years. So, incredible job by Katy and really the entire team.”
Schroeder said more has been asked of Ryan this season in terms of providing attacks and that she seems to be getting more comfortable with these demands.
“You know every now and then you’ll see that really fiery, competitive Katy come out,” Schroeder said. “Not that she’s not always been competitive, but that bent over you know screaming yell in her celebration and she found that a little bit more this weekend which starts giving energy to her teammates, they start playing better, start trusting her even more.”
Fellow teammate Blažková, originally from the Czech Republic, took home Freshman of the Week honors. Blažková averaged 1.44 blocks per set in the last two matches and had one of the stronger all-around performances for the Cougs. She finished the weekend with 15 kills, 25 points, and a solid .378 hitting percentage. She led the team in both matches in blocks and was second in blocks in the WCC on the week. Blažková is the second Coug this season to win Freshman of the Week, after Breccan Scheck did so two weeks ago.
Schroder said Blažková has contributed a lot to the team despite redshirting last year, and has helped both on and off the court by working hard on her game and assisting in the recruiting process. He also focused on her specific improvements this season.
“She’s improved a lot at running behind the setter on her slides,” Schroeder said. “That is not something she has been entirely comfortable with in the past but she’s put a lot of work and we’re seeing that pay off a little bit. Then obviously she just kind of has a knack for blocking. Maybe [she] isn’t as physical in people’s faces as much but she reads the game really well, does a great job of shaping her hands and forming the block, and gets some really good results from it.”
Blazkova is 10th in the WCC in blocks this season and Ryan is fourth in both points and kills. The two will lead a fiery WSU squad who have won five of the last six matches on Thursday at home against Oregon State.
