Taylor Mims
Carin Gosnell
3
Winner WASHINGTON STATE WSU 4-0
1
Northern Iowa UNI 2-4
Winner
WASHINGTON STATE WSU
4-0
3
Final
1
Northern Iowa UNI
2-4
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
WASHINGTON STATE WSU 25 23 25 25 (3)
Northern Iowa UNI 23 25 23 23 (1)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Athletic Communications

Cougars Stay Perfect In Iowa

Washington State took down No. 17 UNI, 3-1, for the second-straight day.

WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE…
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- After a slow start the Washington State volleyball team (4-0) found its groove late behind the play of their all-american, Taylor Mims, to knock off No. 17 Northern Iowa (2-4), 3-1, for the second-consecutive day in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Cougars stayed perfect on the season with the win while handing the Panthers their third-straight home loss of the week.

Set scores for the match were: 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23.

Early on the match proved to be a struggle offensively for both the Cougars and the Panthers as every ball hit seemed to find a defender. Trailing late, the Cougars went to the middle to get back on track as Jocelyn Urias, who finished the match with six kills, put down a pair of kills to begin WSU's comeback efforts. Down three at 18-15, WSU found its rhythm, rallying past the Panthers with 10-5 run to close out the set and steal the opening victory.

Set two proved to be a reversal of set one as the Cougars jumped out front early thanks to their block only to see the Panthers rally late. UNI found openings in the Cougars' defense to roll off four-straight points late, turning a 19-16 Cougars' lead into a 20-19 Panther advantage that would hold the rest of the way.

Knotted at one set a piece for the second-straight match, the Cougars turned to their ace in the hole, Mims, to reset the match. After being held relatively in check for the first two sets, Mims got rolling early in the third as the senior tallied five kills in the first 11 Cougar points. Despite the quick start, WSU found itself trailing 22-18 late, staring at a 2-1 match deficit for the first time on the young season. Even with the four-point deficit, the Cougars would not quit as Mims sparked another rally as WSU closed the set on a 7-1 run to take command of the match and stun the Panthers.

Trailing for much of the fourth set, the Cougars again mounted a late rally against the Panthers, erasing a six-point UNI advantage to take their first lead of the set late at 20-19. From there, the two teams traded points until Mims again took matters into her own hands, drilling her 26th kill of the match to set up match point. A Panther error would seal the deal for the Cougars as WSU completed the comeback and the upset on the road in Iowa.

STAT OF THE MATCH
Taylor Mims recorded 19 of her career-best 26 kills in the final two sets of the match.

THE MOMENTS THAT MADE THE MATCH NOTES…
  • WSU improved to 4-0 on the season for the first time since 2013 when the Cougars rolled off 14-straight wins to begin the year.
  • The win over No. 17 UNI was the Cougars' second-straight over a ranked opponent, the first time since 2016 when WSU dropped three-straight top-25 opponents.
  • The Cougars outhit the Panthers .213-to-.210. It marked the second-straight match WSU outhit UNI.
  • Senior Taylor Mims led the Cougars for the fourth-straight match with 26 kills (.324 hitting), matching her career high.
  • Claire Martin finished the match with a season-best 10 kills.
  • UNI's Karlie Taylor led all attackers with a career-best 28 kills on .290 hitting.
  • Junior Alexis Dirige posted a season-best 23 digs to lead the Cougars' defensive efforts.
 
MARK YOUR CALENDAR…
The Cougars play at home for the first time in 2018 when they host the Cougar Challenge Tournament Sept. 7-8 at Bohler Gym. WSU hosts McNeese State in its first match of the weekend Friday at noon.
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