The WSU Cougars defeated the No. 8 Washington Huskies 3-1 on Wednesday in Bohler Gym.

WSU (21-1, 1-0) struggled early with seven attack errors in the first set compared to Washington’s four. The Cougars’ late comeback run was not enough to overtake the Huskies (9-2, 0-1).

“I think we did okay in the first set. It was kind of back and forth,” head coach Jen Greeny said.

WSU lost the first set 25-22 and went on to win the other three sets 25-22, 25-20, and 25-20.

The second set came down to the wire as the teams were tied at 22 points. WSU went on a 3-0 run to get the win. Freshman outside hitter Alexcis Lusby and freshman middle blocker Magda Jehlarova led the charge for WSU with four and three kills respectively.

“With the help from our coaching staff, they’re very good motivators and I think that’s what pushed us to be better,” Lusby said.

Freshman outside hitter Pia Timmer led the team with 14 kills. Lusby and Jehlarova both made 10 kills in the game. Jehlarova led the team with six blocks.

The third set was all WSU, as Washington never had a lead but tied the set twice. The Cougars scored seven of the final 10 serves to surpass the Huskies 25-20, to take a 2-1 lead overall.

The fourth set the Huskies got on the board first. After the Cougars tied it 1-1 and took the lead, Washington trailed the rest of the game. Senior defensive specialist and libero Alexis Dirige led the team with three aces throughout the game.

“Our coaches are not easy on us, and it pays off today,” Dirige said.

WSU finished the game with a .176 hitting percentage, and Washington had a .154 hitting percentage.

WSU’s next volleyball match will be against the No. 21 California Golden Bears this Saturday at 1 p.m. in Berkeley, California.