Volleyball to take road trip to California

From staff reports

Battling two California schools this weekend, the WSU women’s volleyball team is following the UW Huskies into the Bay area.

The Cougs will first meet up with No. 11 Stanford today and then the California Golden Bears Sunday.

Stanford University defeated University of Washington in their match on October 21. It was a tight win with UW taking the first and third sets. The Stanford Cardinals showed that they are peaking at the right time with seniors Madi Bugg and Jordan Burgess setting new season bests and moving up the ranks of the Cardinal’s career statistical categories.

The Cal Golden Bears will meet up with the University of Washington Huskies today. Cal has lost to UW for the past three years, often by a landslide. This streak of losses may give California a reason to fight for a win against the Huskies. However, that extra exertion could hinder their upcoming match on Sunday if they tire themselves out too much before seeing the Cougars.

“Every single team in the Pac-12, night in and night out, is really tough and we have to prepare for everyone,” Head Coach Jen Greeny said during a press conference.

In the Cougars’ last matchup against No. 5 Arizona State, the depth of the WSU women shown through. Freshmen McKenna Woodford, Taylor Mims and Ella Lajos all contributed to the sweeping wins in each set. They showed their skills and totaled 20 kills and 11 blocks to beat ASU. As well, the eight freshmen on Washington State’s volleyball team have provided the team with a breath of fresh air being new to the college field of competition.

“When they came in preseason, they got a lot better, really fast,” Greeny said. “Now with the competition in the Pac-12, it’s really the little things we are focusing on, being disciplined, the speed of the game.”

Already showing her speed is senior Kate Sommer, the new record-holder of career digs. Sommer now has a total of 1,779 digs and is ready for more. As one of the captains, she will lead the Cougs in bringing about the fall of the Cardinals and the Golden Bears.

Autumn is well underway, and with it, the women’s volleyball team will be seeing more Pac-12 matchups. In Maples Pavilion, the WSU team meets up with Stanford at 7 p.m. today. The Cougars will then play Cal at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Pac-12 Networks will air the Cal game.

Reporting by Casie Moe