PULLMAN, Wash. -- The Washington State volleyball team showcased strong performances from veterans and newcomers April 2, winning a pair of matches at the WSU Spring Volleyball Tournament in Bohler Gym.
“I was impressed with our team's first outing this spring,” fifth-year Cougar Head Coach Jen Greeny said. “I can tell that our players are working on specific things, making adjustments, and they are all improving in different areas. It was fun to get back out on the court and play someone else.”
The Cougars opened the tournament with a 25-15, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22 win over the University of Idaho. Junior Kyra Holt led the team with 15 kills and had an excellent .464 hitting percentage. Freshman McKenna Woodford and sophomore Casey Schoenlein each added eight kills and tallied one block each. Junior Hailey Bethune had four kills on four attacks for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage. Freshman Taylor Mims contributed three kills, hitting .333, and served three of WSU's nine aces in the match. Junior Tani Stephens led the Cougs with eight digs while Holt, and spring semester transfer sophomore Nicole Rigoni each added seven digs.
Saturday afternoon the Cougars defeated Central Washington with scores of 25-15, 25-11, 25-9 and 25-18. Woodford led the offense with 17 kills and had an outstanding .600 hitting percentage. Freshman Ella Lajos added nine kills, hitting a whopping .818 for the match. Other WSU offensive contributors included Holt with eight kills (.357) and three service aces, Schoenlein with seven kills (.545), and spring transfer freshman Julia Cubbedge with six kills (.667). Bethune had four blocks and Mims had three blocks. Stephens led the team with seven digs while Schoenlein had five digs and Woodford and Holt tallied four digs each.
WSU will also compete at the Gonzaga spring tournament April 16, in Spokane, and play Oregon April 23, at the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Ore.