It has been nearly 100 days since the last time the Cougars played in a volleyball match. A lot has changed since then. WSU lost nine players and two coaches while acquiring seven newcomers.
Yet, tomorrow they will be going up against the University of Idaho in the Battle of the Palouse, their first of four spring season matches.
The Vandals went through a similar roster rehaul, losing five players and their assistant coach. They added four new players to their 2026 roster.
Both teams, however, managed to hold onto their best offensive players. Idaho retained sophomore outside hitter Kiana Greer, who led the Vandals with 333 kills, good enough for sixth-best in the Big Sky. Redshirt junior middle blocker Lucie Blažková is returning for WSU after 280-kill and a .443 hitting percentage in the 2025 campaign.
However, both teams ended last season on a deflating note. The Cougars lost three out of their last four games to end the 2025 campaign. Two of these losses were against teams that finished below the Cougs in the WCC standings: University of Portland and Saint Mary’s.
As for the Vandals, they dropped five out of their last six matches, winning just four sets in that stretch.
Neither team qualified for any NCAA postseason event.
Last season was still somewhat successful for the Vandals, however. They won six matches, the same number they had won in the previous three seasons combined.
A reason why first-year head coach Romana Redondo Kriskova’s team was not more successful, though, was the team’s offensive inaccuracy. The Vandals had a .150 hitting percentage average. They were blocked at the net 250 times, the most out of any team in the Big Sky.
As for the Cougars, they were inconsistent last season. WSU’s longest winning streak was six games, including five in a row against West Coast Conference teams, and came at the beginning of the season. They failed to win more than two consecutive games after that.
One key for the Vandals to win tomorrow is to aim to start sets strongly and block well down the middle. The Cougs lost their most efficient pin hitter from last season in Melina Christodoulou. Shifting their focus to slowing down Blažková and the newly acquired Naomi White could prove beneficial.
On the opposite side of the court, the Cougars must watch the perimeters, especially for Greer and outside hitter Allie Ferrin, a transfer the Vandals picked up in the offseason. Both had over 300 kills last season.
Additionally, it is important that the Cougs are aggressive offensively. The Vandals struggled defensively last year, only recording 187 blocks (the second-fewest in the Big Sky) and allowing a .210 hitting percentage.
One interesting matchup to watch for is Emerson Matthews, one of the Cougs’ newest outside hitters, versus libero Keira Kleidon. They were teammates at the University at Buffalo last season and both performed well. Matthews tallied 366 kills, while Kleidon recorded 337 digs.
First serve is at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Memorial Gym in Moscow, Idaho. It is the 18th all-time matchup between the two sides. The Cougs have won the last five.
