Cougs waste no time

PULLMAN — Washington State University won in three games for the first time this season, beating Gonzaga 30-19, 30-25, 30-28 in a Tuesday non-conference match.

“It was much quicker,” said first-year WSU head coach Brian Heffernan. “It definitely feels good to get done before nine o’clock.”

The Cougars (2-6) also collected their first home win of the season, at the expense of a Bulldogs team that appeared overmatched on the road.

Gonzaga (3-6) had more success with each game, but in a timeout late in the third game Heffernan managed to give his team the inspiration to finish off the Bulldogs then and there.

For WSU, sophomore middle blocker Jen Barcus took on a starring role, leading the team with 15 kills and an impressive .522 kill percentage.

Barcus added a team-best six block assists.

“I’m very happy for Jen; she had a great night,” Heffernan said. “The best part for me is having (her) play a great game and having a smile on her face.”

Heffernan said he had worked with Barcus in practice on her timing, and apparently that extra work paid off. The Cougars haven’t had many opportunities to get in such sessions, since their schedule has them on the road for four consecutive weekends before entering the Pacific-10 Conference season.

Another sophomore middle blocker, Jennifer Todd, added 12 more kills to help finish off Gonzaga.

“We definitely capitalized on Gonzaga’s weaknesses which was good for us, because it gave us confidence,” Todd said. “A lot of our matches have been four or five games, so it felt good to get in and out of there in three.

“We just wanted to finish, just get it done. We were ahead and we were the better team.”

CCS volleyball wins

Community Colleges of Spokane (6-4, 2-0 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges) downed Yakima Valley CC, 30-16, 30-28, 30-18 at Spokane Falls CC.