Washington State volleyball rallies to defeat No. 8 Washington

PULLMAN – Hannah Pukis notched 41 assists and 10 digs, and Washington State rallied to defeat eighth-ranked Washington 22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20 Wednesday in the Pac-12 volleyball opener at Bohler Gym.

Pia Timmer led a balanced attack for the Cougars (12-1) with 14 kills. Alexcis Lusby and Magda Jehlarova added 10 kills apiece.

WSU snapped one winning streak while extending its own. The Cougars ended the Huskies’ seven-game unbeaten run while pushing their winning streak to 11.

Entering the night, WSU had lost one set in its last eight games but quickly dropped the opening set to the Huskies (9-2).

The second set was tied at 22 when the Cougars ripped off three straight points, capped by Alexis Dirige’s ace, to even the match.

WSU used another big run in the third, winning six straight points to take an 18-17 lead up to the brink of an eventual set win.

The Cougars built a healthy lead in the fourth set, and though the Huskies won five of six points to close within 23-20, Jehlarova and Lusby tallied back-to-back kills to to seal the rivalry win.

Kara Bajema led UW with 19 kills, while Shayne McPherson totaled 25 digs.