Cougars’ new transfers combined for 24 kills, seven blocks and four service aces as WSU took down the University of Idaho 4–1 in a five-set match on Saturday afternoon. The Cougs won the first four sets before dropping the fifth 16–14.
“They [the transfers] did a great job. They brought an awesome energy and cohesiveness,” WSU head coach Korey Schroeder said. “It’s hard coming into a new place, but all five of them…really settled in quick.”
The Cougs came out slow in the first set, at one point trailing 13–7. Vandals’ senior outside hitter Sarah Sullivan had three kills and a block in that stretch.
Lucie Blažková catches her breath in a game against the University of Idaho volleyball team on March 7 2026.
However, the Cougs turned things around after calling a timeout and going on an 11–2 scoring run. The run was led by middle blocker Lucie Blažková, who had two blocks, and outside hitters Emerson Matthews and Eliana Ti’a, who combined for a block and three kills. Matthews is a transfer who joined the Cougs this offseason.
The Cougs closed out the set, winning 25–16, after recording three service aces and four kills. Madyn Cervellera, an outside hitter the Cougs acquired in the transfer portal from Seattle University, accounted for two of the aces.
After the match, Cervellera said taking the timeout helped the Cougs focus on what they could control, such as adjusting to Idaho’s attacks and staying together as a team.
WSU took the second set 25–15. The Cougs played better all-around in the second half of the set. After only being up 10–9, the Cougs recorded 10 kills. Five of those kills were by Ti’a. The freshman had 10 kills by the end of the second set.
The Cougs also played tighter defense, with two key digs by Ti’a and newly-added middle blocker Naomi White that eventually turned into kills for them.
“That [defense] was one of the main focuses for us this year because last year it wasn’t…a strength of [WSU],” Cervellera said. “This year, we’ve really been putting a lot of hours into working on defensive drills.”
Mary Healy winds up a spike against the University of Idaho volleyball team in a spring game on March 7 2026.
WSU saw similar success in the third set, winning 25–13. Sophomore pin hitters Matthews and Kate Hayhurst paved the way for the Cougs with five and four kills, respectively.
Wazzu and Idaho then split the last two sets, which the coaches decided to play despite the Cougs’ 3–0 lead. The Cougs won the fourth 25–19, but dropped the fifth 16–14.
Part of the reason for WSU’s struggles was the free points they gave Idaho. In the 35 total points the Vandals scored in the last two sets, over a third of them (13) came from Cougar miscues.
The Cougs also ran a 6-2 in the fifth set, a formation that Schroeder said they had not practiced much.
Despite the win, one aspect where Schroeder felt the team could have done better was on defense. He said the team could have been scrappier and grittier defensively, noting that a few times the ball hit the ground without anyone touching it.
WSU volleyball celebrates a win together over the University of Idaho on March 7 2026.
Nonetheless, Schroeder said he felt that they had won the serve-receive game, which is something they wanted to do. The Cougars finished the match with three more service aces than the Vandals.
He also felt the team controlled the match and was content with how everyone played together.
“Whatever lineup we put out there, they played well together,” he said.
The win was the Cougs’ sixth-straight over the Vandals and their 11th all-time. WSU’s next spring season match is against the University of Montana at 7 p.m. March 27 at Lewis and Clark High School.
