Dominant is the best word to describe the WSU women’s volleyball team’s performance this weekend at the Cougar Challenge tournament.

Finishing the weekend with three wins without dropping a set, the tournament champion Cougars have now won six straight matches, and 13 straight sets, looking completely in control in the process.

“I’m very proud of this team,” volleyball Head Coach Jen Greeny said. “I thought we did some great things this weekend and as a whole.”

WSU’s play during the Cougar Challenge was diverse, with players using various angles and tactics to get the whole team involved and take advantage of all assets on the Cougar team.

In the first game of the tournament, WSU took on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) team that carried a 7-1 record into the tournament. It ended in a decisive WSU victory behind a myriad of performers.

The Cougars not only held UMES to a hitting percentage of .058 but hit just over .400 themselves behind a strong performance from tournament MVP and senior outside hitter Hailey Bethune, who hit .688 with a team leading 12 kills.

Bethune’s shining performance was coupled with seven team blocks and eight kills apiece from sophomore middle blocker Taylor Mims and senior outside hitter Kyra Holt, whose performances helped the Cougars keep the match firmly in their grasp through all three sets.

The second match of the weekend was against George Washington University (GWU). GWU came into the game with a 4-3 record and faced some stiff competition earlier in the season.

In this match, WSU was not as dominant from the get-go, opening all three sets slowly. But, as the home crowd got behind the team, the Cougars were able to right the ship and march to a 3-0 sweep once again.

Once again displaying stout defense, the Cougars were able to hold GWU to a mere .100 hitting percentage on the match with the help of 10 team blocks.

“The week before, we talked about our blocking,” Greeny said, “and that definitely picked up and this weekend, I thought we did a better job defensively.”

Once again, WSU dismantled their opponent with a dynamic attack plan. With five players hitting over .300 on the match, the Cougars were led by Holt’s 15 kills plus 10 more from sophomore outside hitter McKenna Woodford and eight from Bethune.

The third and final match of the tournament for the Cougars was against the University of Idaho. The extra shot of energy WSU received from the rivalry proved to be too much for the Vandals, as the Cougars cruised to a 3-0 set victory and tournament championship.

WSU came out strong against the Vandals, winning the first set 25-10 with a 90 percent sideout rate. The team’s dominance continued throughout the match, albeit at a slightly lower level, with Idaho scoring 13 and 17 points in the second and third sets respectively.

As the Cougars again put on a masterful offensive display with a .354 hitting percentage, they maintained their control on the defensive side as well, totaling 10 team blocks and holding Idaho to a .020 hitting percentage.

WSU had five players with five or more kills, with Bethune and Holt again atop the stat sheet. The two seniors combined made up 18 of the team’s 43 kills, hitting .411 between them.

Overall, the match with the Vandals was the one that coaches were looking for after last weekend in which the team put everything together. The serving, passing, hitting and blocking were all strong in the sweep.

“Our serving was definitely great this weekend and great serving leads to great all-around play,” Greeny said of the team’s overall improvement from their previous tournament.

With the home-opening tournament now behind them, the Cougars move on to the Baylor Invitational in Waco, Texas, where they will take on College of Charleston, University of Virginia, and Baylor University. The tournament will run from Sept. 16-17.