Three Cups of Coffee and a side of sports: 10/29
Hello All Coug’d Up fans!
This is the first edition of my weekly column, “Three Cups of Coffee and a side of sports”, which will cover basically any topic related to sports and at times, more.
My personal background is volleyball. I played the sport competitively for seven years, but decided to pursue other interests in college. I stay connected to it through sports journalism!
Today, in honor of my first column, I’ll discuss the women’s volleyball team here at WSU. A quick recap on the season so far, fans were ecstatic on the Cougs preseason winning streak. At one point there was a streak of 18 wins in they’re pre-season schedule. The issue was that WSU’s pre-season schedule didn’t meet the challenging calibre several Pac-12 teams.
The Cougar’s first conference game was against the University of Washington, one of the highest ranked volleyball teams in the country and currently the top ranked team in the conference. The Huskies dominated, claiming victory against the Cougars in all three sets. The Cougars are now at 2-8 in conference play and are set to play Boulder on Friday at home. Boulder is 6-4 in conference play, and they are the only team to beat UW this season.
When watching WSU volleyball compete, it seems the problems lie in fundamentals, consistency, and a high number of unforced errors. Every team can most likely improve in all three of these categories to some extent, however the Cougars often face teams who capitalize on such mistakes.
Cougar volleyball has the physicality and talent it takes to be a top ranked team, and with more game experience should improve. Three players in the starting lineup for WSU are freshman.
The team is still young and shows immense potential for the future. A couple of stand-out players include Haley MacDonald and Kyra Holt. MacDonald is a first-string starting setter with a commanding presence on the court. She shows promise as a strong leader for Cougs. Kyra Holt, also a freshman, is a first-string outside hitter with a power swing and a versatile skill set. Holt is strong both as an offensive and defensive player, and offers a high level of consistency on the court.
Don’t miss women’s volleyball play this Friday against Boulder! Have a great rest of the week, and remember: Go Cougs!