No. 20 Cougs sweep Beavers

WSU wins every set by at least seven points

Junior+libero+Alexis+Dirige+receives+a+strike+from+Stanford+on+Nov.+16+at+Bohler+Gym.+The+Cougars+lost+to+Stanford+in+the+third+round+of+the+NCAA+Tournament+to+end+their+2018+season.

BENJAMIN MICHAELIS | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Junior libero Alexis Dirige receives a strike from Stanford on Nov. 16 at Bohler Gym. The Cougars lost to Stanford in the third round of the NCAA Tournament to end their 2018 season.

COLIN CONNOLLY, Evergreen reporter

No. 20 WSU volleyball beat Oregon State University in three straight sets Wednesday night in Bohler Gym.

The Cougars (20-9, 11-8) came out hot and never looked back, winning the match 3-0 with scores of 25-15, 25-9 and 25-18.

Blocks were the story of the first set as WSU used its size to overpower the Beavers and take a 1-0 match lead. Redshirt junior middle blocker Jocelyn Urias and senior middle blocker Ella Lajos each had three blocks to help the Cougars win the first set 25-15.

The second set had an even larger margin of victory as the Cougars went on a 6-0 run followed by an 11-2 stretch. This led to the final set score of 25-9, giving WSU a commanding 2-0 set lead against OSU.

Set three was the closest set of the match as the Cougars attempted to get the sweep against the Beavers.

WSU jumped out to another early lead, but the Beavers closed the gap to five points near the end after a 3-0 run.

Senior outside hitter Taylor Mims made sure the Cougars stayed solid with her team-leading 12 kills in the match, half of which were in set three. Lajos added eight kills followed by senior outside hitter McKenna Woodford’s seven and Urias’ six.

Junior setter Ashley Brown is to credit for these high kill totals as she led the scoring attack for WSU with her 31 assists.

WSU will host No. 19 University of Washington in a top-20 showdown to end the regular season schedule as part of the Boeing Apple Cup series. The Cougars will host the Huskies at 4 p.m. Saturday in Bohler Gym.