SAN MARCOS, Texas (October 10, 2026) — Washington State women's volleyball defeated Texas State 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-17) Saturday.
WSU hit .255 with 60 kills and seven aces while holding Texas State to a .187 hitting percentage. Wazzu recorded seven aces to Texas State’s three.
Eliana Ti'a led WSU with 18 points and 16 kills, adding eight digs.
Emerson Matthews posted 15 kills, 17.5 points and nine digs.
Audrey Hollis finished with 21 assists, 11 digs, six kills and two service aces.
Naomi White recorded six kills and a team-high seven blocks.
Texas State built a 5-2 lead behind two kills, but WSU came back with a Ti'a kill, Hollis kill and a Texas State setting error to tie the opening set at 5-5. The set stayed within one point through 16-16, with the Cougars moving ahead 8-7 on consecutive Texas State errors and again 15-14 on another Texas State attack error before Matthews kills put the visitors in front at 16-15 and 17-16. Livia Ward served an ace, White added a kill and a Texas State attack error pushed Wazzu to a 20-16 advantage. Texas State would answer with three straight points to get within 20-19, but Matthews followed with a kill and a service ace, a Whitney Dewicki-White block helped WSU reach 23-19 and Ti'a finished the set with a kill for a 25-21 win.
In set two, both teams traded points through ties at 10-10, 13-13, 16-16 and 17-17 before Texas State moved ahead 19-17. WSU trailed 24-20 before getting within 24-22 on a Texas State attack error and Hollis ace before Texas State closed its 25-22 set win with a kill.
WSU scored the first three points of the third set on kills by Matthews, Ti'a and Hollis, and after Texas State tied it at 3-3, Kambree Rodriguez and Hollis each served an ace as the Cougs built a 9-4 lead. Texas State stayed close through the middle of the set, but Wazzu continued to answer with kills from Ti'a, Hayhurst and Hollis before a Hayhurst kill and a Texas State attack error made it 19-14. Texas State put together four straight points to cut the margin to 19-18, but Hayhurst stopped the run with a kill. Maddy Joswick served the Cougars through four consecutive points that included two blocks and back-to-back Matthews kills for a 24-18 lead before Texas State fought off set point and a final attack error gave WSU the set, 25-19.
After Texas State moved ahead 5-4, Wazzu answered with a Hayhurst kill and later built a 10-6 lead with help from a White-Matthews block and a Matthews kill. Texas State got back within 10-8, but Ti'a put down a kill and Matthews served through four straight Cougars points to push the lead to 15-8. Texas State trimmed the margin to 18-14 before Ti'a, Hayhurst and a White-Hayhurst block helped WSU reach 21-15. Ward added an ace for 23-16, Matthews brought up set point with a kill and Ti'a and White combined on the final block to close a 25-17 set win.
Notes
- Kate Hayhurst recorded career-highs with 11 kills and 12.5 points.
- Hayhurst also achieved a season-high with her .417 hitting percentage.
- Livia Ward set a season-high with 27 assists.
- Kambree Rodriguez surpassed 200 digs for the season, currently sitting at 206.
- Eliana Ti'a surpassed both the 100-kill and 100-point marks for the season.
- Whitney Dewicki has recorded three or more total blocks in five of the last six matches.
- WSU has recorded 8+ blocks in 13 of 15 matches this season, and 12+ in seven of them.
Up next, WSU travels to Boise, Idaho, to face Boise State Thursday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m.
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