The Cougs return to Bohler Gymnasium tomorrow for the first time in 155 days and play a familiar foe: the University of Idaho.
These two rivals met seven weeks ago in the first spring match of the year, and the Cougs ran away with a 4-1 win. Washington State won each of the first four sets by six or more points but dropped the fifth, 16-14 in extra points.
WSU’s transfers shined in the match, combining for 24 kills, seven blocks and four service aces.
However, the Cougars struggled to stop getting in their own way. They recorded 25 combined attack and service errors. They also struggled to stop Vandals’ outside hitter Sarah Sullivan, who logged seven kills and two blocks.
Both teams have gained more experience since their March 7 matchup. The Vandals have faced Gonzaga and Eastern Oregon and had an intrateam match. The Cougars have faced the University of Montana, Lewis-Clark State College, Whitman College and Eastern Oregon. The Cougs played the latter three all in one day.
This experience has put both teams in a position to put their volleyball on display tomorrow. For the Vandals to do this, they would need to be more accurate at the net.
When these two teams met in early March, WSU recorded 14 total blocks, and Idaho had 17 attack errors. They often could not get the ball past the net due to the Cougs’ blocking setup, which often flipped the momentum of sets in favor of WSU.
At the beginning of the first set, the Vandals were up 15-14, but outside hitter Allie Ferrin then had three attack errors on the next four plays. The Vandals eventually lost the set 25-16. WSU middle blockers Lucie Blažková and Ella Smith also tallied six and four total blocks, respectively.
The Vandals will also need to do a better job in the serve-receive game. They allowed nine total service aces and often had poor first contact, which often resulted in lost points.
As for the Cougars, they have fixed some of their problems from the first performance, such as inconsistent setter play, but still have some work to do.
Washington State has carried its bad habit of playing inconsistently over from last year. Five times through the first two matches of the spring season, the Cougs trailed or were tied through the first 20 points of the set. They also had some service errors that killed momentum.
They also struggle to win at the net when the other team has strong blockers. That was on display in the second set against the Grizz, when Emerson Matthews, one of the Cougars’ smartest and most accurate hitters, consistently struggled to clear the ball over the net. This has extended rallies and cost the Cougs points at times.
Even though the Cougars have won the last six against the Vandals, either team could win by exploiting the other’s weaknesses and playing cleanly.
The match is the last of the spring season for both sides. First serve is at 10:30 a.m.
