Cougs Head to Santa Barbara for the Thunderdome Classic

WASHINGTON STATE (3-4, 0-0 PAC-12)
vs. UCSB (3-6, 0-0 Big West)    |    Friday, Sept. 17   |   10 a.m. 
vs. VCU (4-5, 0-0 A10)               |    Saturday, Sept. 18   |   11 a.m. 
vs. UCSB (3-6, 0-0 Big West)    |    Saturday, Sept. 18    |   7 p.m. 

> Live Stats (All Matches)        |     Stats Link
> Watch (Selected Matches)    |      WSU vs UCSB (Fri.) / WSU vs UCSB (Sat.)
 
WEEK PREVIEW - KEY NOTES
Washington State came out of the Cougar Challenge with a perfect performance, sweeping away Gonzaga, University of Northern Iowa, and Long Beach State with 3-0 wins. The Cougs travel to Santa Barbara, Calif. this weekend for the Thunderdome Classic hosted by UC Santa Barbara where they hope to use the momentum of their 3-match winning streak for another successful tournament.

The Cougars will meet UCSB twice during the tournament, once on Friday morning at 10 a.m. and again on Saturday night at 7 p.m. to close out the tournament. Saturday will be Washington State's longest day as it plays a double-header taking on VCU at 11 a.m.

WSU has only played UC Santa Barbara once before in 2010, so an 11-year intermission holds a promising possibility for the Cougs to come off their one recorded loss against the Gauchos. Similarly, WSU and VCU have only met one time previously in 2018. The match ended in a 3-0 win for the Cougs. The only Coug still on the team from that contest is Penny Tusa who finished the 2018 match 3-for-4 on the attacking front while adding a team-high two service aces.

There were several great moments on the court last weekend that the Cougs hope to translate to the Thunderdome Classic. Pia Timmer was named 2021 Cougar Challenge MVP and locked in 35 kills over the course of the tournament. Magda Jehlarova and Katy Ryan joined Timmer on the all-tournament team as well.

Kalyah Williams had an outstanding match against Gonzaga and was named Player of the Match, finishing with a match-high of 10 kills and several crucial blocks that led to a Cougar victory. 

Setting the Cougs up for success has been all-american Hannah Pukis who enters the weekend with 1,934 assists. The fourth-year setter is just 159 assists away from setting her way into the Cougs' all-time top-10 for assists. 
 
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