Official Athletic Site of the Washington State University Cougars

Washington State Volleyball Sweeps South Carolina

November 27, 1998

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Washington State volleyball team took little time to dispose of the University of South Carolina 15-9, 15-11, 15-5, Friday at the SEC-Pac-10 Challenge Tournament at the Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

WSU's overall record is now 12-13 while South Carolina is 21-9 overall. WSU finished the Pac-10 season tied with Arizona State for fifth and USC was third in the SEC.

The Cougars dominated the Gamecocks from start to finish in the match. WSU out-hit USC .296 to .087 and out-blocked the SEC squad 12 to 5.

WSU senior Wendy Rouse led all players with 21 kills, hitting .400 for the match, and contributing five blocks. Junior Joy Sperry tallied 10 kills, hitting .500 in the three games.

USC's Milica Perovic had 11 kills to lead the Gamecocks. Cally Plummer added 10 kills and three service aces to South Carolina's losing cause.

South Carolina came into the match leading the nation in service aces averaging nearly three per game but Washington State did a great job receiving and allowed only five aces in the three-game match.

Washington State will end its 1998 season against #4 Florida Saturday afternoon at the SEC-Pac-10 Conference Challenge Tournament at Disney World. Florida defeated Washington Friday 15-10, 15-6, 15-12 for its fourth straight 30-win season.

Because the Cougars' final overall record will not be above .500, WSU will not be considered for the NCAA Championship Tournament field for the first time since 1990.

"We did a good job today and played well," Cougar coach Cindy Fredrick said. "It wasn't even a competitive match for us today which shows how tough the Pac-10 Conference really is. It's sad to think that South Carolina will probably advance to the NCAA tournament and we won't. But we didn't take care of some matches earlier in our season and that's our own fault. We'll need a better balance Saturday to take on Florida."

Washington State (12-13) d. South Carolina (21-9) 15-9, 15-11, 15-5
Kills - Rouse (WSU) 21, Perovic (USC) 11. Assists - Spink (WSU) 33, Edlund
(USC) 24. Aces - Sperry, Spink, Smith Kleven (WSU) 1 each, Plummer (USC)
3. Digs - Blackshire, Rouse, Spink, Smith (WSU) 7 each, Nordgaard (USC) 8.
 Blocks - Erickson (WSU) 7, Taylor (USC) 4. Attendance: 185.