Tournament Title Will Do For Cougars

The Washington State University volleyball team had to settle for a championship on Saturday night.

The 12th-ranked Cougars beat South Florida 15-4, 15-9, 15-13 in the title match of the Pacific Community Bankers Classic Tournament, although coach Cindy Fredrick wouldn’t have minded a slightly different scenario.

“Beating Pacific would have been a more prestigious win for us, but they didn’t take care of business on Friday night,” Frederick said of the 11th-ranked Tigers, who were upset by the Bulls in an opening match.

Sarah Silvernail, named the tournament MVP, paced the Cougars with 17 kills and eight blocks. WSU’s Stephanie Papke and Keren Oigman were also named to the all-tournament team.

“Everyone took care of their assignments tonight,” Frederick said. “We served tough, and watching Sarah tonight, we knew no one was going to stop her.”

Today, the Cougars find out their next assignment when the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship brackets are announced. In all probability, the Cougars, who finished second in the Pac-10, will earn their fourth consecutive berth - fifth overall - to the 48-team field.

With Saturday’s win, WSU improved to 25-5, the most regular-season victories in Fredrick’s eight seasons as coach.

The Cougars jumped to a 12-point lead in the first game. In the second, WSU pulled away from a tie at 7, outscoring the Bulls 8-2 the rest of the way.

Papke had 10 kills and 40 assists in the sweep. Keren Oigman added nine kills and 10 digs and Elis Arias contributed seven kills and 11 digs.

Erica Berggren, two-time Conference USA Player of the Year, led the Bulls with 16 kills. Pacific defeated Notre Dame 15-9, 15-13, 15-8 in the consolation match.