PULLMAN, Wash. — Seventh-ranked Washington State volleyball (11-1, 1-0 Pac-12) gets set to take a 10-match winning streak on the road as it closes the opening week of conference play on Sunday taking on Arizona (5-7, 0-1 Pac-12). Sunday's match will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Arizona with first serve slated for 1:05 p.m. (PST) in the McKale Center.
WSU is off to its best start since beginning the 2017 season 11-1, and currently ranks fourth in the nation in hitting at .320, and 14th in the nation with 14.10 kills/set as a team. Last week's Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week,
Magda Jehlářová, set the program's all-time Washington State record with her 528th career block assist Thursday night vs UW, while setter
Argentina Ung continues her ascension up the NCAA rankings as one of the top setters in the country, currently ranking eighth in the nation with 11.00 assists/set.
Match Notes PDF
Match Info:
at Arizona (5-7, 0-1 Pac-12) | Opp Streak: Lost 1
- OPP LAST THREE: W 3-1 vs New Mexico St. // W 3-0 vs Alabama St. // L 0-3 at ASU
- DATE: Sun., Sept. 24 // First serve: 1:05 p.m. (PST)
- LOCATION: Tucson, Ariz. // McKale Center
- TV: Pac-12 Arizona // PxP: Brian Webber
- Radio: Pullman Radio KQQQ// PxP: Steve Grubbs
Series History:
>>
Overall: Arizona leads 47-25
>>
In Pullman: Arizona leads 21-16
>>
In Tucson: Arizona leads 26-9
>> Washington State has dominated its annual conference series with the Wildcats as of late, winning four straight heading into this Sunday's match.
>> Washington State swept last season's two matches with a five-set win at home , followed by a 3-1 win in the rematch in Tucson.
>> The Cougs have won 10 of the last 13 overall against the Wildcats going back to a 2016 sweep in Tucson which sparked an ensuing four-match winning streak against Arizona.
>> The two teams have gone five sets 16 times in the all-time series with Washington State going 5-11 in those matches. The Cougars have won three of the last four five-set matches going back to the 2016 season.
WSU Match Notes:
>> Washington State carries a 10-match winning streak into Sunday's road match at Arizona and currently ranks 21
st in the nation in strength of schedule only one match into the Pac-12 season.
>> WSU is off to its best start since beginning both the 2017 and 2015 seasons 11-1. The best start under coach
Jen Greeny was a 13-0 beginning to the 2013 season. In each of those three instances, the Cougars had streaks snapped by UW in conference openers.
>> The Cougars currently rank 12th among power five programs in terms of strength of schedule and have faced the third-toughest schedule in the Pac-12 with only a single blemish on their record.
>> Third time with one or fewer losses through their first 12 matches.
>> Opposite hitter
Katy Ryan is averaging a career-best 2.50 kills/set while hitting a career-best .350 (100-29-203).
>>
Magda Jehlářová set the program's all-time Washington State record with her 528th career block Thursday night vs UW.
>> She was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 2.13 blocks/set with 1.88 kills/set in the Cougars' two road wins — at No. 18 Baylor and at No. 6 Texas — last week.
>>
Jehlářová ranks 18th in the nation and second in the Pac-12 with 1.42 blocks/set this season, and is atop the Pac-12 and No. 7 in the NCAA with a .475 hitting percentage on the season.
>>
Argentina Ung is No. 8 in the NCAA and second in the Pac-12 with 11.00 assists/set while also averaging 1.93 digs/set, 0.73 blocks/set, and 0.78 kills/set.
>>
Karly Basham is averaging a career-best 4.05 digs/set while fellow defensive specialist,
Emma Barbero made her first-career start on Thursday against the Huskies and is averaging 1.22 digs/set through the first 12 matches of her Cougar career.
>>
Pia Timmer (124) and
Julia Norville each (108) are in the top-10 all-time in WSU history in career aces.
>> Washington State is ranked No. 4 in the NCAA as a team with a .316 hitting percentage this season.
Up Next:
Washington State heads back on the road next weekend as it travels to play at Oregon State on Thurs., Sept. 28, before heading to Eugene to take on sixth-ranked Oregon on Sun., Oct. 1, at noon.
For all the latest WSU volleyball news, photos and videos, like the team on Facebook (facebook.com/WSUCougarVB), or follow on Twitter (@WSUCougarVB) and Instagram (@wsucougarvb).
