PULLMAN, Wash. — Magda Jehlarova finished with 10 blocks and a team-leading 15 kills without any errors (15-0-20, .750), and No. 10 Washington State (26-7) defeated No. 19 Dayton (32-3), 3-1 (25-21, 25-15, 20-25), Saturday.  The Cougars' win gives them their first trip the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 since 2018.

Jehlarova became the Pac-12's all-time leader in career blocks with No. 757 early in Saturday's second-round win.  Iman Isanovic had a second-straight double-digit kill performance in her first two NCAA Tournament matches, and Pia Timmer added 12 kills with a team-leading 11 digs on the night. 

Julia Norville fell only one dig shy of Timmer's dozen, and also added a pair of aces to move only five shy of LaToya Harris for third all-time in Cougar history.  WSU finished with a 12-7 advantage in total blocks in Saturday's win, while also improving on its program-record hitting percentage as a team after a .290 (52-16-124) night in round two.

Having fallen short of the second weekend in the NCAA Tournament in their first four years, the Washington State seniors, led by Jehlarova, came out firing in Saturday's second round and did not trail once through the first two sets.  Jehlarova's first block of the night, the Pac-12 record-breaking moment, came on the heels of a 6-2 run that gave Washington State a 17-11 advantage.

Following a 25-21 opening-set win, Washington State kept its foot on the gas in set two and led by as many as nine behind six kills from Timmer and a trio of block assists from Jehlarova.

The Flyers, riding a 27-match win streak heading into the night, picked up a set in the third as they found openings in the Cougar block and hit a match-high .323 hitting percentage (15-5-31), while Washington State saw a match-low .094 hitting percentage in the third.

Washington State tampered comeback hopes early in the fourth with a 3-0 start to the set, and continued to pour it on as it reached a match-high .412 hitting percentage in set four.  Iman Isanovic picked up her level of play and found four kills on 11 swings, and Jehlarova had four kills on only five swings (4-0-5, .800) in the fourth.

The Cougars again never trailed in set four, and following a late sideout from Dayton facing match point, an attack error from outside hitter, Lexie Almodovar, sent the WSU bench rushing onto the floor for one final court storming of Marcia Saneholtz Court in 2023.

The Cougars will now turn their attention to fourth-ranked and top-seeded Pittsburgh (27-4) on Thursday in Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.  Thursday's match will be Washington State's fifth all-time appearance in the final 16, the second under head coach Jen Greeny.

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