
The Cougs will look to make it back to the NCAA Tournament
Washington State volleyball released their 2022 fall schedule last week about a month before the season is slated to start. The Cougs will be looking to get back to the NCAA tournament for the seventh consecutive season. Last season, after finishing 20-12, they made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before running into fifth seeded Baylor.
They will lead off the season on August 26th and 27th with the BYU Invitational and will take on Duke, Rider, and BYU over the opening two days. They will then return home for the Cougar Challenge and will host California Baptist, Belmont, and CSU Bakersfield on September 1st and 2nd. They will then head to the Fairfield Invitational in Fairfield Connecticut and the University of Minnesota Diet Coke Classic over the next few weeks.
Conference play will begin on the road with a four-game stretch beginning with Washington on September 21st. They will play their first home conference game on October 7th against Oregon in the return of Hannah Pukis, the former captain and All-Region setter for the Cougs who transferred to the Ducks in December.
There are a total of nine schools that made the NCAA Tournament last year, four out of conference and five in conference. Minnesota and BYU finished last season inside the AVCA top-10 while Washington, UCLA, Utah, and Oregon all finished inside the top-25.
The 2021 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the year, Jen Greeny, will look to utilize the experience she has with two-time All-American Middle Magda Jehlarova, All-American outside Pia Timmer, and Pac-12 All-Freshman Katy Ryan.
*****
Athletics:
Washington State athletics bracing for ripple effect caused by UCLA, USC joining Big Ten
Beginning in 2024, Washington State’s conference opponents won’t include Southern Cal and UCLA. But that’s the least of the Cougars’ concerns regarding Thursday, June 30’s stunning news.
How a Pac-12/Big 12 Merger Might Look
Reports are running rampant regarding what the Pac-12 or its members might or should do now. Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado officials reportedly will talk to Big 12 Conference officials this week about joining that conference.
Volleyball:
Volleyball Announces Fall 2022 Schedule
The Cougars will see nine NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago as it makes a run at a seventh-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance.