LATE BREAKING NEWS...
The Washington State volleyball team was declared the winner of the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Missouri State. The Cougars were declared the winners over Illinois based on sets lost during the three-day tournament (see below):
1st - Washington State (3-0/9-2 sets)
2nd - Illinois (3-0/9-3 sets)
3rd - Missouri State (2-2/10-6 sets)
4th - Chattanooga (0-3/1-9 sets)
5th - Tennessee State (0-3/0-9 sets)
WSU junior MB
Taylor Mims was named the Most Valuable Player and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by fellow Cougars
McKenna Woodford and
Ashley Brown. The entire team is listed below:
All-tournament team
Taylor Mims, Washington State (MVP)
McKenna Woodford, Washington State
Ashley Brown, Washington State
Jordyn Poulter, Illinois
Tyanna Omazic, Illinois
Lily Johnson, Missouri State
Ally Ford, Chattanooga
WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE…
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Washington State volleyball team (11-1) overcame the morning match hangover after a five-set win the night before to sweep Tennessee Chattanooga (7-7) with set scores of 28-26, 25-20, 25-18 Saturday morning at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Mo.
Junior
Taylor Mims led the Cougs with 18 kills and hit .444 while
McKenna Woodford added nine kills and
Ella Lajos contributed six kills.
Claire Martin led the match with six blocks.
Alexis Dirige led the match with 19 digs.
Ashley Brown had another double-double match with 17 assists and 11 digs.
Penny Tusa contributed 19 assists.
Missouri State will announce an all-tournament team after the final match Saturday night.
This concludes the nonconference portion of the Cougars' 2017 season.
WHY & HOW...
WSU Head Coach Jen Greeny said, "We saw the Chattanooga team when they played Illinois and saw that they are scrappy, dig a ton of balls and a really good, solid team. It's always hard coming off a five-setter and a quick turn-around so we gutted out the first set, which was a big one, and then we were able to settle in as the match went on. We've had teams in the past that got into those tight sets and just couldn't finish. This year, we've had a lot of tight sets and it's come down to the wire and we've been able to pull a lot of those sets out with wins. That's a lot of focus and maturity shown by this team.
"I think especially with the absence of
Casey Schoenlein this weekend that we needed everyone to step up this weekend leadership-wise. All of the returners did a really nice job of taking on that leadership responsibility."
About
Taylor Mims' play at the tournament Greeny said, "That's not an easy thing to do, going from a middle blocker where you just play three rotations in the front row and it's not an easy position. But now she has so any more things to focus on like passing and defense, a lot of out-of-system balls and situations like that. She's so athletic and really fun to coach because she takes a lot of feedback and puts it into use usually right away. A lot of maturity has come from Taylor not only on the court but off the court as well as she is one of our team captains this year. Amazing growth from her and a great match today."
About completing the nonconference portion of the season Greeny said, "You never know when you're scheduling what it's going to be like but I think we got what we really wanted: a lot of really good competition against quality teams that have those RPI numbers that we're looking for. I'll be really glad when we don't have travel to the Eastern or Central time zones anymore. During these four weeks we have gained a ton of experience and gotten a lot better."
Junior outside hitter Taylor Mims on being ready to play after a five-set win the night before said, "We prepare by having a positive and active mindset. Playing a 6 o'clock game at night and going to five sets, then playing an 11 a.m. game the next day is rough. Obviously we are tired but we needed to come together as a team and fight through it. Playing teams like Missouri State really helps us prepare for Pac-12 play. They were really scrappy and explosive. So playing against teams like that really expands our defense and play."
NOTES…
- Jen Greeny's nonconference record at WSU is now 73-12 (.859) in seven years.
- There were 16 ties in the WSU set one 28-26 win.
- WSU scored six consecutive points to win set two.
- 9th match of double-digit digs for Alexis Dirige.
- Illinois was also playing in this Missouri St. tournament but no WSU-Illinois match.
- WSU is t-29th in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll.
- Attendance: 85
MARK YOUR CALENDAR…
Washington State (11-1) sits atop the Pac-12 standings heading into conference play Wed., Sept. 20 hosting No. 7 Washington (10-1) in a 6 p.m. match at Bohler Gym and televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
