Rams spoil Cougars’ home opener

PULLMAN — Washington State’s volleyball team dropped its home opener Wednesday to No. 10 Colorado State after a surprising start, 23-30, 30-15, 30-26, 30-23.

“We’re a very young group and we’ve talked to them about it being an uphill battle,” said WSU coach Brian Heffernan, who was in his first home match with the Cougars. “We knew we were going to be facing a very, very strong team, a very experienced team.”

The Cougars (0-4) made a run at taking a 2-1 lead with an impressive performance early in the third game, but the Rams (4-1) responded to retake the lead and close out the match before 936 fans at Bohler Gym.

After the second game, Heffernan shuffled his lineup, moving Liz Spear to the middle and Jen Barcus to the left side. That switch appeared to momentarily confuse the Rams, as WSU went on a 12-5 run and had a 15-8 lead.

But when CSU made an adjustment and closed the gap, the Cougars’ chances for an upset vanished.

“After losing that second game, we were kind of like, ‘OK, now it’s time to play,’ ” sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Todd said. “We probably should have made some better adjustments.”

Todd was second on the team in kills with 11 and blocks with three. Fellow sophomore Kelly Rosin started out strongly in the first game and led the Cougars with 17 kills. She was also second on the team with 12 digs.

But Heffernan said CSU’s acumen on serve was something new this year for his young team — just four Cougars are juniors or seniors.

WSU played its first three games at a tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., last weekend, and the road won’t get much easier with another three-game tournament in Los Angeles this weekend. There, the Cougars will face another ranked team in host Loyola Marymount, currently slotted No. 22 in the nation.

Heffernan said he sought advice from men’s basketball coach Dick Bennett, who recommended that Heffernan focus on one or two specific goals for his team. As such, the first-year head coach said he’s moved his team’s attention away from the win-loss record and towards risk-taking.

“For whatever reason, our team has kind of bought into that idea,” Heffernan said. “That team had to beat us to win the match.”

•Korissa Clevish totaled team highs of 21 assists, five digs and three aces as Community Colleges of Spokane opened conference play with a 3-0 sweep over host Big Bend at Moses Lake, Wash.

Sybresha Branch added seven kills for the Sasquatch (2-3, 1-0 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. The Vikings are 2-5, 0-1.

CCS will host the 12-team Inland Northwest Communications Invitational this weekend.

Men’s soccer

Josh Lujan scored a pair of second-half goals as North Idaho (2-0-1) opened NWAACC play with a 3-0 win over host Skagit Valley at Mount Vernon, Wash.

Garga Caserta added two assists for the Cardinals.

•Nick Loyd assisted on the first goal and scored the second as CC Spokane opened NWAACC play with a 2-0 win at Walla Walla (3-2-1, 0-1).

Loyd had a tap-in goal at 75 minutes after a pass from C.J. Moe, who beat three defenders from the right side. The Sasquatch improved to 4-1.

Women’s soccer

Kaitlin Mitchell’s goal, a free kick bent around a defensive wall to the far post, started NIC (2-1, 1-0) toward a 5-0 win at Skagit Valley in an NWAACC opener.

•Shelly Ikerd totaled four goals and one assists to lead host Walla Walla (4-1, 1-0) to a 5-1 win over CCS.

Megan Oksendahl scored at 30 minutes for the Sasquatch (1-2, 0-1) to tie the match at 1.