Cougars hunting to upset UCLA

WSU beat No. 4 University of Washington 3-1 on Wednesday.

Fresh off an upset win over No. 4 University of Washington on Wednesday, the WSU women’s volleyball team will be in Los Angeles 48 hours later to face the ninth-ranked UCLA bruins.

The Bruins are coming into their conference home opener with a 10-1 record and a win on Wednesday over rival No. 21 USC (8-3, 1-0).

UCLA is a balanced team and will enter the match with five players averaging over two kills per set. As a team, the Bruins are hitting .248 on the season and currently lead the Pac-12 in assists per set and kills per set, making for a good test for the Cougar defense.

UCLA’s high volume attack is led by junior outside hitter Reily Buechler, who is averaging 3.6 kills per set with a hitting percentage just over .200. She is backed up by senior outside hitter Jordan Anderson, who is averaging just under 3.3 kills per set on a hitting percentage of .231 and senior middle blocker Jennie Frager’s 2.5 kills per set and a .376 hitting percentage.

The Bruins defense is also a strong suit. They rank second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage and fifth in the conference in blocks per set.

The UCLA defense is anchored by Frager, who averages 1.27 blocks per set, as well as senior libero Taylor Formico, who is among the leaders in the conference in digs per set with a mark of 4.72.

Despite the impressive stats that UCLA brings to the table, WSU (11-2, 1-0) sets up well against the challenge.

The Cougars are riding a massive victory over a rival and the highest ranked team in the Pac-12 in the Huskies, their first win over UW in Seattle since 2001. On top of its signature win, WSU brings its own set of impressive stats.

The Cougars lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage, holding the competition, including three top 25 teams, to a paltry .118 hitting percentage over 13 matches.

WSU also has a strong block, ranking third in the country in blocks per set and trailing only Stanford for the best blocking mark in the Pac-12. The Cougars’ defense is anchored by sophomore middle blockers Claire Martin and Taylor Mims, who both rank in the top 20 nationally in blocks per set.

Freshman libero Alexis Dirige is another defensive standout for the Cougars. She averages 3.98 digs per set, putting her at No. 7 in the conference.

WSU’s offense is dynamic, and can go through almost anyone on the court. Mims is in the top 10 for hitting percentage in the conference, senior outside hitter Hailey Bethune is hitting over .300 and sophomore outside hitter McKenna Woodford is averaging 2.73 kills per set.

Senior outside hitter Kyra Holt has been the driving force of WSU’s offense so far this season. With a kills per set average of 3.80, Holt ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in that statistical category and also ranks in the top 10 in the conference in service aces with a .27 aces per set average.

Both UCLA and WSU carry impressive statistics on offense and defense, and the match will be a challenge for each side.

The Cougars head into Los Angeles tonight, chasing a second straight win over a top 10 team in the country. The match will be broadcast on the UCLA Live Stream, which can be accessed at wsucougars.com. First serve is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Pauley Pavilion.

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