LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Washington State volleyball team (11-1) used big blocks to sweep Portland State (4-8) Saturday morning 25-23, 25-23, and 25-23, going undefeated at the Texas Tech Lone Star Showdown in Lubbock.
Freshman McKenna Woodford led the Cougars with a double-double of 11 kills (.333) and 10 digs, and added three blocks. Kyra Holt just missed a double-double with 11 kills (.294) and nine digs. WSU tallied an outstanding 16.0 team blocks in the win led by freshman Taylor Mims' eight to accompany her eight kills. Freshman Claire Martin had seven blocks and junior Hailey Bethune contributed seven kills and seven blocks. Setter Haley MacDonald had 36 assists and five blocks. Kate Sommer had 19 digs and Holt landed the lone ace for the Cougars.
Woodford was named the tournament MVP and Mims and Sommer were named to the all-tournament team.
Portland State leaders were Jenna Mullen with 14 kills (.098), Sarah Liva with nine kills, Kylie Copple with 30 assists, and Tasha Bojanic with a match-high 25 digs. The Vikings hit .079 for the match and had 6.0 team blocks.
The Cougars needed to score four straight points to win the first set, and then tallied eight straight points to win second set, led by Bethune's five kills and four blocks. The third set was another tight contest, with WSU scoring three straight points, concluding the set with a block by Bethune and freshman Ella Lajos.
“Our block came up big for us this morning. I'm really proud of the way we finished the sets even though we were down, we fought back and we were able to get it done,” WSU Head Coach Jen Greeny said. “Hailey Bethune almost put the team on her back and carried us to the victory in that second set, making incredible plays. She had some great swings during that run at the end of the second set and the momentum definitely swung our way with a couple of those blocks as well.”
“I'm pleased with the way non-conference has gone. You never know when you schedule it a year or year and a half out, what it's going to be like but I think we've been tested and put in pressure situations and that's what we need,” Greeny said. “We'll get into the Pac-12 and all these freshmen will get used to multiple days of preparing for one team with lots of scouting report and film. As we've told them, Pac-12 is a whole other animal and we're going to see it right away with Washington coming to Pullman.”
WSU opens Pac-12 Conference play next week, hosting No. 7 Washington (10-0) Thursday, Sept. 24, and takes on Utah Saturday, Sept. 26. Both matches start at 7 p.m. in Bohler Gym.
NOTES:
Lone Star Showdown All-Tournament Team: Jenna Allen, Texas Tech; Tasha Bojanic, Portland State; Lauren Douglass, Texas Tech; Amanda Kunz, Northwestern State; Taylor Mims, WSU; Kate Sommer, WSU; and MVP - McKenna Woodford , WSU
WSU's 11 wins surpasses the 2014 season's total of 10 wins.
Kyra Holt now has 1,044 career kills, just seven kills from 10th-best on the WSU all-time list.
Holt also has career totals of 2,947 attack attempts (10th-best) and 1,201.5 points (5th-best).
Kate Sommer has 1,654 career digs, second-best on WSU all-time records and needs 119 digs to tie school record-holder Kelly Hyder's 1,773 digs (2006-09).
Haley MacDonald's 1,994 career assists is 9th-best in WSU records.
