The Cal volleyball team defeated Washington State, 3-0 (26-24, 25,20, 25-22), on Friday night in Pullman, Wash.
The crowd of 1,111 fans on Nov. 11 saw the Cougars play the No. 5 Bears very closely. Washington State came out strong, opening the match with a 4-0 run. Cal (24-4, 14-4 in the Pac-12) first knotted up the score at eight, but the Cougars (12-15, 4-13) battled back.
With the score tied at 17, the Bears went on their own 4-0 run, including back-to-back kills by Tarah Murrey to give Cal a 21-17 lead. Washington State fought off set point twice and tie at 24 with a kill from Meagan Ganzer, who posted a match-high 19 kills on the night.
After coach Rich Feller called a timeout, sophomore Adrienne Gehan notched a kill and Ganzer logged an attack error to clinch the frame for the Bears, 26-24.
The second set saw much of the same back-and-forth action before middle hitter Shannon Hawari went on a tear. The redshirt junior laid down three straight winners, forcing a Cougars’ timeout with Cal leading 20-16.
The break didn’t slow her down: Hawari got another kill. Teammate Correy Johnson then registered consecutive aces before an error finally ended the 6-0 run. Murrey put away the final ball to win the second set, 25-20.
The Bears broke open a tight third set with a 4-0 run to take a 22-18 lead. The Cougars cut their deficit to 23-22, but Murrey’s 16th and final kill of the night put Cal at match point. Ganzer’s misfire gave the Bears the match.
Comment Policy
Comments should remain on topic, concerning the article or blog post to which they are connected. Brevity is encouraged. Posting under a pseudonym is discouraged, but permitted. The Daily Cal encourages readers to voice their opinions respectfully in regard to the readers, writers and contributors of The Daily Californian. Comments are not pre-moderated, but may be removed if deemed to be in violation of this policy. Click here to read the full comment policy.