Through five sets, the young Washington State volleyball team went toe-to-toe with the No. 6 team in the nation, but their inexperience showed as the walls came crumbling down in the fifth set.

After a cross-court kill by WSU (11-2, 0-1) freshman outside hitter McKenna Woodford tied the final set at three, the Huskies (11-0, 1-0) went on a tear, scoring five straight points, and winning 12 of the next 13 points to close out the first Pac-12 match of the season for both schools. The only Cougar point during the stretch came off a service error by UW senior libero Cassie Strickland.

“I think it was an eye-opening experience,” WSU Head Coach Jen Greeny said. “You play a preseason schedule, but then to come in and play such a great team like Washington… as the match went on, (the freshmen) got more used to the pace and the intensity of it. Now they really know what we’re talking about.”

The journey to the final and deciding fifth set was a long one.

The Cougars battled back from a 19-15 first set deficit, going on a 10-3 run, to take the set,25-22. After junior outside hitter Kyra Holt notched 3 kills, Washington took a timeout while the game was tied at 19. Both teams traded points until WSU was down 22-21, and with freshman defensive specialist Olivia Coale serving, the Cougars closed out the set on a 4-0 run.

The service line continued to be a major point of emphasis in the first set, as it has been all season. Freshman outside hitter Hayley DeSales and Coale each served an ace while the Huskies committed two service errors.

Woodford struggled early in the match, committing six costly attack errors before DeSales relieved her. DeSales played well defensively throughout the second part of the first set, helping to key the Cougars’ rally. Holt finished the first set with six kills and a .500 hitting percentage.

“The crowd really helped us with the momentum,” senior libero Kate Sommer said. “But (the Huskies) made some adjustments.”

DeSales stayed in for Woodford for the duration of the second set. The Cougars began the set with a Bethune kill, but defensive miscommunications ended their early momentum. After junior setter Hayley MacDonald and freshman middle blocker Taylor Mims both watched a ball hit the ground between them on a point, Sommer ran into junior outside hitter Hailey Bethune on a set attempt, putting the Cougars in an early 6-2 hole.

If serving helped WSU in the first, it hurt them in the second, as the Cougars committed three costly service errors, one each by MacDonald, Sommer and junior defensive specialist Tani Stephens.

WSU could never draw close again during the second set, and lost 25-15.

The Huskies continued their dominance in the third set, scoring the first seven points of the set before a kill by WSU freshman middle blocker Claire Martin put the Cougars on the board.

Miscommunication and attack errors continued to plague WSU throughout the third set. Woodford reentered the match and recorded a big kill but was replaced once again by DeSales after sending a serve long, making it 20-10. The Huskies came away with a 25-11 win in the third.

The fourth set could not have been any more opposite than the third, as the Cougars came out with renewed energy and scored the first five points of the set. They maintained that margin en route to a thrilling 25-20 win. Mims recorded seven kills among the Cougars’ first 15 points of the set, including dropping one in the back right corner after an incredible save along the officials’ bench by sophomore outside hitter Casey Schoenline, making her 2015 season debut.

“Having peripheral vision of the court, (I knew) where they were covering,” Mims said. “They don’t cover the deep corner.”

After a timeout midway through the fourth, Holt immediately landed an ace and added two more kills as the Cougars caught fire, and Woodford sealed the deal with her fourth kill of the set.

“If we play together and do our job, things will take care of itself,” Sommer said. “Once we figured out how to play with each other, we just clicked from there.”

WSU will host the Utah Utes (7-5, 1-0) at 7p.m on Saturday in Bohler Gym.