Cougars ready to return to Bohler Gym for a top-25 showdown

WSU+Volleyball+celebrates+after+a+point+scored+against+George+Washington+University+Sept.+9.

WSU Volleyball celebrates after a point scored against George Washington University Sept. 9.

From staff reports

Coming off consecutive road wins over top-25 teams, the WSU women’s volleyball team is set to host another pair of tough conference matches this weekend in Bohler Gym.

After last weekend’s victories over Pac-12 foes, then No. 9 UCLA and then No. 4 University of Washington, the No. 17 Cougars (12-2, 2-0) are ready to go up against No. 9 Stanford (8-2, 2-0) and University of California, Berkeley (6-6, 0-2).

WSU currently leads the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.126) and sits in second place nationally for team blocks (3.34). WSU will be looking to ride its strong defense to another set of wins this weekend and remains in first place in the Pac-12.

The Cougars have also nullified their opponents through a deep and diverse offensive attack coming from multiple contributors on the roster.

Senior outside hitter Kyra Holt, last week’s Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, is fourth in the conference in points-per-match (4.37) and fifth in kills-per-match (3.78). Sophomore middle blocker Claire Martin, who nabbed Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, is third in the conference with 1.59 blocks per set for the season.

Sophomore outside hitter McKenna Woodford is second on the team with 2.62 kills per set while sophomore middle blocker Taylor Mims is sixth in the Pac-12 with a .379 hitting percentage.

Stanford leads the NCAA with 3.49 blocks per set in large part to middle blockers freshman Audriana Fitzmorris and redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku and boasts two wins of its own over top-10 teams. Fitzmorris (1.70) is fifth in the nation in blocks per set while Ajanaku (1.52) is fourth in the conference and 14th in the country.

Another Stanford player to watch for is freshman opposite setter Kathryn Plummer, who opened up conference play with 16 kills in the Cardinal’s 3-0 win over California last week and boasts a 6 feet 6 inches frame.

The Cardinal most recently defeated the seventh-ranked Huskies in Seattle on Wednesday in a tight 3-2 match.

Coming off a 3-0 loss at the hands of the University of Oregon last Friday in Eugene, Cal is hitting at a .220 clip entering this weekend. They struggled to put together consistent performances against quality competition. Against Stanford last week, freshman outside hitter Bailee Huizenga was the Golden Bears’ lone offensive bright spot with 19 kills and a .567 hitting percentage.

Senior middle blocker Jenelle Jordan leads the team with a .355 attack percentage and is second on the roster with 2.74 kills per set. Senior setter Alyssa Jensen leads the Pac-12 with 11.43 assists per set while senior libero Maddy Kerr ranks fourth in the conference with 4.30 digs per set and had a match-high of 15 digs against Stanford.

Tonight’s match against Stanford is set for 7 p.m. and the Cougars will follow up with an 11 a.m. match versus the Golden Bears on Sunday. Live coverage for WSU and Stanford will be provided by the Pac-12 Network and Sunday’s match can be streamed at wsucougars.com on WSU Live Stream.