No. 17 Washington State is set to open their 2023 home campaign today against Northwestern State in the 2023 Cougar Invitational. The tournament includes Drake, Tulsa and Northwestern State. The cougars arrive back in Pullman after a 2-1 road trip to Kentucky where their only loss came against the defending national runner up, Louisville.
The Cougars are aiming to reach the benchmark of top-10 teams such as Louisville by playing high quality competition, which with a stacked Pac-12 schedule will be no problem. Amongst ranked Pac-12 rivals, Washington State will take on non-conference powerhouses such as Baylor, Texas, and BYU. The home clash against BYU in the 2023 Cougar Challenge is said to potentially break Bohler Gyms attendance record – showcasing a undeniable buzz around 2023 cougar volleyball.
Coach Jen Greeny‘s roster seems ready to make a push beyond previous years, in part to the core group of fifth year seniors coming back. Magda Jehlárová, Shea Rubright, Julia Norville, and Pia Timmer. Jehlárová is a four-time All-Pac-12 honoree from the Czech Republic who continues to etch her name is the WSU history books. Fellow European, Timmer, is a three-time All-Pac-12 honoree from Germany who led the team with 3.56 kills/set in 2022. Rubright, a 6’4 middle blocker, is set to bounce back from ACL surgery eliminating her from competition last year. Among the returners, lays a recruiting class full of all-position talent that has WSU looking forward to the future.
The newly renovated Bohler Gym (Marcia Saneholtz Court) finally has NCAA volleyball, and it lives up to the excitement. The renovation includes a new student section, creating a third seating area. The grey seating allows the crimson court to pop visually. A newly softened court, new logos, new digital scoreboard, and improved bleachers make for a top-tier division 1 volleyball gym. The experience is much more fan tailored and entertaining. The seat backs courtside are a lot more comfortable and luxurious making a lot of spatial and viewing sense.
Volleyball has undoubtedly remained the most consistent athletic program at WSU in terms of success. Greeny has led the cougars to seven straight NCAA tournaments, however not being able to get past the sweet 16. Amongst the consistency there is an evident desire to not only make the postseason but extend their runs deep into…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Washington State University Athletics…