EUGENE, Ore. (September 6, 2026) — Washington State women's volleyball lost to Oregon 3-1 Sunday, falling 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 29-31. WSU out--blocked Oregon 12.5-6.0 and hit .174 to Oregon's .171, but Oregon finished with a 69-52 edge in kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set stayed tight through 11-11 before WSU moved in front 13-11 on an Oregon attack error and an Eliana Ti'a kill, but Oregon answered with four straight points to lead 15-13 and later went ahead 18-15. The Cougars trimmed the margin with a Kate Hayhurst kill, then scored four straight with Kambree Rodriguez serving — a Mary Healy-Naomi White block, consecutive White kills and a Hayhurst kill — to turn an 18-16 deficit into a 20-18 lead. Healy, Whitney Dewicki, White and Ti'a added kills as WSU reached 24-21, and after Oregon pulled within 24-23 on consecutive kills, an Oregon attack error closed the set for Wazzu, 25-23.
After an even start, WSU moved ahead 13-10 on Ti'a’s kill following an Oregon service error, but Oregon stayed close and turned a 14-11 deficit into a 16-14 lead with five straight points. The Oregon surge included a kill from an Oregon player and two from another, while Hayhurst, Ti'a, and Healy answered with three straight Cougars kills to make it 17-16. Oregon tied the set at 17-17, but Healy’s kill and an attack error restored a 19-17 WSU lead, and White’s kill plus a White-Ti'a block helped keep the Cougs in front 22-19. Wazzu led 23-21 after an Oregon service error, but Oregon scored the final four points, tying the set on a kill and finishing it 25-23 on consecutive WSU attack errors.
The third set was tied 8-8 after Oregon answered Livia Ward's kill with a kill, and White's kill put WSU in front 9-8. With Healy serving, the Cougars added five more points behind two Ti'a kills, a Healy kill, and two Oregon attack errors to build a 14-8 lead. Wazzu led 17-13 when three Oregon errors pushed the score to 20-13; Oregon took the next two points, and Ti'a's kill made it 21-15. Oregon then scored nine straight points, starting with a WSU service error and continuing with a player at the service line, before Dewicki's kill cut it to 24-22 and a kill closed Oregon's 25-22 set win.
Oregon built the first separation in the fourth set, turning a 3-3 tie into a 9-3 lead before WSU answered with four straight points, including two Ti'a kills, to pull within 9-7. The Cougars later tied the set at 16-16 on Hayhurst’s ace and White’s block, and after Oregon moved back ahead 19-16, Wazzu scored four straight behind two Healy kills and blocks involving White and Dewicki to go in front 20-19. The teams traded points deep into extra play, with Kryssa Moerman’s kill tying it at 24-24, a Clemente attack error putting WSU ahead 26-25, and White and Madyn Cervellera answering Oregon points to keep it even at 29-29. Oregon took the final two points on a kill and a WSU attack error to take the set 31-29.
WSU Top Performers
Eliana Ti'a
- team-high 18 kills
- 13 digs
- 3 blocks
- team-high 19.5 points
- Achieved a career-high of 13 digs.
Naomi White
- 8 kills on .353 hitting
- team-high 7 blocks, including 2 solo
- 12.5 points
- Achieved a season-high of 12.5 points.
Kambree Rodriguez
- team-high and season-high 19 digs
- 3 assists
Audrey Hollis
- team-high and season-high 25 assists
- 10 digs
Mary Healy
- 10 kills
- 12 digs
- 3 blocks
- 12 points
Livia Ward
- Achieved a season-high of 20 set assists.
Notes
- Cougars had a season-high total of 76 digs in the game.
- WSU has achieved at least 12 blocks in four consecutive games this season.
- The Cougars have held every opponent to under a .175 hitting percentage this season.
- Kryssa Moerman has recorded three or more blocks in five straight games.
- Naomi White notched 7 total blocks for the second straight game.
- Eliana Ti'a has now recorded at least three total blocks in four consecutive matches.
Up next, WSU travels to Seattle, Wash., to face Lipscomb Friday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m.
2026 Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2026 WSU Volleyball season are on sale and can be purchased HERE. Secure your seat in Bohler Gym and don’t miss out on the action this fall.
Follow Us
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).