Volleyball notebook: WSU debuts in WCC, EWU shows off ‘beautiful’ new court

It’s a new ballgame this week for area Division I volleyball programs, particularly with Washington State’s debut in the West Coast Conference and Eastern Washington ready to show off Reese Court’s new floor to Big Sky visitors.

The four schools bring different levels of optimism into their respective conference openers.

Washington State (5-4) owns the only nonconference record above .500 and boasts a 4-1 mark in five-set matches. Eastern Washington (4-6) has won three of its past four entering the Big Sky and the Eagles have a new playing surface for the first time in 50 years.

“It’s beautiful, kind of elegant looking,” EWU coach Jon Haruguchi said of the new wood floor. “It’s the same one men’s and women’s basketball will play on.

“We hadn’t scheduled anything (at home) because we knew it had to be done at least before Sept. 28 (date of Saturday’s home match vs. Sacramento State). We didn’t plan on anything (before) but that home and away with Washington State kind of fell together. We’ve been practicing on it since Sept. 5. The first night (Sept. 9) against WSU we had 700 people.”

WSU and EWU both tote momentum into conference play.

The Cougars, who went 2-0 vs. the Eagles, have won five of their past seven prior to Thursday’s road match at Santa Clara.

“We would love to have an extra win or two,” WSU coach Korey Schroeder said. “Really, like what (WSU football coach Jake) Dickert is talking about right now, just go 1-0. So that’s kind of our goal right now.”

The Cougars entertain San Diego, an NCAA Tournament regular that defeated WSU in the second round en route to the 2022 Final Four, on Saturday, two days after the Toreros take on Gonzaga (1-9) at the Martin Centre.

“It’s certainly going to be new and different,” said Schroeder, whose squad was sixth in the WCC preseason coaches’ poll. “Each year, obviously teams are different throughout conference play, but we’re having to learn entirely new teams. I don’t think we saw any of these teams last year, other than (WCC favorite) Pepperdine playing at our place in the (NCAA) tournament, but we didn’t go up against them.

“Definitely going to be a lot of learning each week, traveling, learning new venues, new cities. But we also have a lot of new players that even if we were facing the same teams, they would be learning them anyway.”

Senior opposite Katy Ryan has a team-high 136 kills. The 6-foot-5 graduate of Lakeland High in Rathdrum had a career best 23 kills in WSU’s 3-2 victory over Cal State Northridge last week.

“We would have loved to get out with a sweep (WSU won the first two sets), but we continued to show we’re really good in fifth sets, which definitely as the season goes on and you win some fifth sets early on, that kind of becomes who you are,” Schroeder said. “We know that we’ll probably encounter some later on and it gives us confidence.”

Eastern Washington, which was sixth in the Big Sky preseason poll, opens Thursday against Idaho State in Pocatello. ISU, eighth in the preseason rankings, posted the Big Sky’s best nonconference record at 9-3.

“I’m very encouraged,” Haruguchi said. “I’m sure if you talk to a lot of coaches we’re in a perpetual state of being dissatisfied. I’m happy with how the team is coming together.”

Sophomore Kalista Lukovich leads EWU with 122 kills. Bri Gunderson, a 6-3 middle, is second in kills (104) and first in blocks and aces. Add in 6-2 Tanai Jenkins (Lake City High), 6-0 freshman Quincy Moran, 6-2 Sadie Bacon and 6-1 Alyssa Radke and the Eagles “have a very physical team,” Haruguchi said.

“They are athletes and very strong,” he said. “It’s fun to watch when we walk through airports and see everybody agape: ‘What are they, basketball players?’ ”

Gonzaga snagged its only win in the season opener, 3-0 over Southern Utah. The Zags have dropped two five-set matches during a nine-match losing streak.

Freshmen Raechelle Dykstra (94), Hayley Ogden (73) and Taylor Walsh (36) rank in GU’s top five for kills. Sophomore Maggie Rickert (84) is second and junior Autumn Larson (54) is fourth.

Idaho (1-10) entertains Portland State on Thursday at Memorial Gym before visiting preseason favorite Weber State on Saturday. The Vandals’ lone victory was a 3-1 decision over Sienna (New York).

Sophomore Zuzanna Wieczorek paces UI in points (100.5) and kills (89). Senior Emma Patterson is first in blocks with 31.

The first Idaho-EWU match is Oct. 4 in Moscow. The return match is Nov. 15 in Cheney.