WSU Volleyball Stops Beavers In Four
November 8, 1998
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Missy Blackshire's career high 20 kills led Washington
State to a 15-7, 15-13, 8-15, 15-5 Pac-10 volleyball victory Sunday
afternoon in Gill Coliseum. Blackshire, a freshman from Spokane, has now
set career-bests in kills in three consecutive matches with 12 last Sunday
versus Stanford and 13 Friday night at Oregon preceding Sunday's outburst.
WSU moved to 8-6 in the Pac-10 and 11-9 overall. It was WSU's 11th
straight victory over Oregon State (2-13, 12-14) dating back to 1993.
For the second straight match, WSU had four players with double-figure
kills as junior Joy Sperry and senior Wendy Rouse each tallied 15, while
sophomore Colleen Smith had 12. Rouse was one block away from a
triple-double with 11 digs and a season-high nine blocks.
OSU's Sarah Bjeldanes led the Beavers with 17 kills and 12 digs.
It was another solid offensive effort for the Cougars who hit .331, while
holding the Beavers to .168.
Blackshire and Sperry dominated the left side in game one as WSU never
trailed in a 15-7 victory. Blackshire finished the game with eight kills,
powered the Cougars to leads of 6-0 and 14-6 before senior Kim Kleven
served out the contest with an ace. Sperry added five kills in game one as
WSU hit an even .500 as a team with 25 kills and five errors in 40 attempts.
Game two saw the Cougs jump out to a 10-6 lead thanks to a pair of
well-placed tips from senior setter Samantha Spink. But the Beavers
rallied to knot the score at 12-12. WSU then looked to the left sde to end
the match as Sperry's kill produced the Cougar's 13th point. A Beaver
hitting error led to WSU's 14th point before Rouse and Smith stuffed OSU's
Sarah Bjeldanes at the net for the game-winner. Rouse collected three
blocks and six kills in the second game.
The Beavers came back after the break with a 15-8 game three win. After
WSU jumped out to a 3-2 lead, OSU went on a 10-2 run to take a 12-5 lead.
The Cougars closed to 12-8 but could not get any closer. After strong
offensive showings in the first two games, WSU mustered just nine kills and
a .105 attack percentage in the third game.
Sperry helped Washington State respond from a game three loss by serving
the Cougs to a 7-0 lead in the fourth game. WSU pushed that margin to 9-0
before the Beavers got on the scoreboard. From there, the Cougars cruised
to a 15-5 game and match win.
Washington State returns home Friday night at 7:30 p.m. when #20 UCLA
visits Beasley Coliseum for a Live FOX Sport Net nationally televised
broadcast. The home season concludes with a Sunday matinee as the Cougars
take on #11 USC.
Washington State (8-6, 11-9) d. Oregon State (2-13, 12-14) 15-7, 15-13,
8-15, 15-5
Kills - Blackshire (WSU) 20, Rouse (WSU) 15, Sperry (WSU) 15, Bjeldanes
(OSU) 17. Assists - Spink (WSU) 58, Bonnarens (OSU) 52. Aces - Kleven
(WSU) 1, Sperry (WSU) 1, Bjedlanes (OSU) 1, Koukou (OSU) 1, Papell (OSU) 1.
Digs - Spink (WSU) 18, Bjeldanes (OSU) 12. Blocks - Rouse (WSU) 9,
Shirley (OSU) 5. Attendance: 451.
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