WSU volleyball wrapped up its preseason, taking two wins and a loss in the Cougar Challenge tournament.  The tournament took place at Bohler Gym beginning Thursday against neighboring Idaho, followed by Portland State and Loyola Marymount.

The first match against Idaho was a strong start for the Cougars (9-3), winning the first game comfortably at 25-19. In the second game, Idaho came back and the teams were neck-and-neck, reaching 31 points before the Cougars pulled out a win against the Vandals. WSU prevailed in the third game, winning 25-22. Outside hitter Kyra Holt led the match in kills with 18 and libero Kate Sommer led the night in defense with 18 digs. Outside hitter Jaicee Harris also made her presence known on defense with 16 digs.

“It was great to be back home (against) a great Idaho team. We definitely played well tonight,” WSU women’s volleyball Head Coach Jen Greeny said after the win against the Vandals. “We have a lot to work on as far as consistency, but I’m really proud of the way we fought tonight.”

Friday afternoon the Cougars took on Portland State. Middle blocker Chelsey Bettinson played with fire, leading the night with 14 kills. WSU won by two points in the first game (25-23), and fought to win in a close second game, 28-26. Portland State fell to the Cougs 25-19 in the third, completing a second match win for WSU.

Later that night, WSU battled against No. 23 Loyola Marymount (12-0). WSU worked for a win 25-21 in the first, but LMU came back in the second set winning 25-20. The two battled for points in the third, and LMU won by 2 at 28-26. The Lions sealed the win over the Cougars in the fourth set, 25-21.

“I think we just need to believe more and believe we can. We’re a good team and soon as we realize we’re a good team and we play like it we’ll succeed a lot more. We’ve definitely learned a lot from this preseason,” Jaicee Harris said after the loss against LMU.

Greeny said she was proud of the way the Cougs fought in the third set, adding that improving some of the “tight sets” might have changed the momentum of the game. Coach Greeny said the team will be able to prepare more going into Pac-12 play, focusing on one game at a time, rather than back-to-back matches in tournaments.

The Cougars begin conference play next week, taking on Washington in Seattle for a state rivalry competition. The game will be showing on the Pac-12 Network.

Reporting by Brigette Larsen