LOS ANGELES – Washington State volleyball defeated the Trojans of USC in a five set thriller on the road, by a final score of 3-2.
Set scores from the match were: 25-20, 25-22, 26-28, 16-25, and 15-13 in favor of WSU (13-3, 2-2 Pac-12)
This Pac-12 match begin much like all conference competitions this season, closely contested with multiple ties throughout the opening portion of the set. The Cougars found some separation with a 4-0 run midway through, as a kill from
Magda Jehlarova, and an ace from
Pia Timmer helped WSU gain a small advantage. Washington State truly began dominating the Trojans (8-6, 2-2 Pac-12), as
Kalyah Williams provided a huge spark to the offensive attack, anchoring the Cougars in a 9-1 run for the 20-11 lead. Despite a small comeback from USC, the WSU lead was never in danger for the 25-20 set one victory.
Set number two featured both of these squads creating multiple small runs throughout. A USC 4-0 run set the Trojans up with an 8-6 lead, but the Cougars countered right back with a 4-1 run of their own which included three kills from Timmer for the 10-9 advantage. WSU began to find some rhythm with a 5-1 scoring run, as kills from
Hannah Pukis,
Jocelyn Urias, Timmer, and Williams all found the floor to hold the 17-13 lead. The Cougars and Trojans went on to trade points late in this contest, but a final kill from Timmer finished off USC for the 25-22 win.
Washington State continued to look in complete control at the start of set number three, generating a 5-0 scoring run to begin play. The Cougars scored in just about every way possible from an
Alexcis Lusby and Jehlarova block, to a Pukis service ace. The Trojans stormed right back however with a 4-0 run of their own to trail by only one point. WSU and USC went on to trade points throughout the majority of this contest, as 11 total ties occurred leading up to a 20-20 overall score. The Trojans unfortunately were able to put together three consecutive points to claim set number three at 28-26.
Momentum had seemed to swap in favor of the Trojans, building a 9-5 lead over the Cougars early in set four. An additional 6-1 scoring run from USC only furthered that advantage out to 16-9 overall. Washington State tried getting some scoring runs started, led by Urias, Timmer, and Lusby, but Southern California capped off the set win at 25-16, with a 7-2 run.
The final set of action in this Pac-12 match saw USC continuing to ride that set four wave of momentum and jumping out to an 8-6 lead over WSU. The offensive fire power of the Cougars today would not be denied as kills from Williams, Urias, Lusby, and Timmer saw this contest tied up at 12-12. Jehlarova began to take over in the final moments of set five as back-to-back kills saw the Cougars up at 14-13. The blocking combination of Magda and Lusby finished off USC at 15-13, and Washington State came away with a huge victory in enemy territory.
STAT OF THE MATCH
The victory over USC was the first road win for the Cougars since 1998, and the first win in program history inside the Galen Center as well.
INTO THE TWITTER-VERSE
MATCH NOTES
- The offensive attack power between Jocelyn Urias and Pia Timmer was an incredible factor in this match as Urias and Timmer each tied career-highs. Jocelyn finished the day with 18 total kills, while Pia posted 17 overall.
- Kalyah Williams contributed a career day as well in the win, with 12 overall kills for the Cougars.
- Hannah Pukis continued the trend for WSU in recording career numbers as she recorded a career-high in assists with 53 total. Pukis also posted another double-double this season, totaling 14 digs.
- Washington State returns to action next, Friday, Oct. 11, as the Cougars will host the No. 25 Ducks of Oregon inside Bohler Gym with first serve slated for 6 p.m.
