VOLLEYBALL
Cougars extend the winning streak out to four with the road victory over the
Buffs.
BOULDER,
Colo. -- The No. 19 ranked Washington State Cougars (17-5, 8-4 Pac-12)
continued the hot streak by defeating the Buffs of Colorado (12-10, 4-7 Pac-12)
on the road in four overall sets Friday evening.
Set scores
from the match were: 26-24, 25-22, 23-25, and 25-22 in favor of the Cougars.
The
Cougars shot out of the gate early on in this opening set with a 6-0 run to put
WSU ahead of Colorado at 9-4 with kills from Penny Tusa, and Claire Martin, and
an ace from Abby Phillips. The Buffs began creating multiple small leads to
close the scoring gap late in the set, eventually taking a lead over WSU at
20-18. Washington State powered through the final points of set number one as
Jocelyn Urias totaled multiple kills and a service ace to seal off the set win
at 26-24.
Colorado
built a small lead over the Cougars to begin set number two at 6-3, as this set
certainly turned up the intensity between these two programs. The Cougars
battled right back however with a 4-0 run after another Tusa kill, a block from
Ashley Brown and Urias, and back-to-back kills from McKenna Woodford. WSU
pulled away late in the set with a 5-0 run, fueled once again by back-to-back
Woodford kills, and a pair of kills from Martin for the 25-22 victory.
Set number
three saw a back-and-forth battle between the Buffs and Cougars early on with
Colorado claiming a small 10-9 lead over WSU. Washington State found momentum
once again as Woodford, Tusa, and Urias fueled the offensive attack forward,
holding a 16-13 advantage midway through the set. The Buffs were able to generate
a 4-1 run to ultimately take set number three at 25-23 to force a set four
against the Cougars.
The Buffs
continued to ride that momentum from winning set three into the fourth, after a
4-0 run forced a Cougar timeout at 11-7 overall. Colorado stayed in control for
a majority of this set, until the Cougars began forcing multiple errors from
the Buffs to pull even at 17-17 late in the set. These two squads traded points
as the set progressed on, and Tusa helped guide the offense towards the win
with multiple kills late in the set, and saw the winning streak stay alive at
four with the 25-22 win over Colorado.
QUOTE OF
THE MATCH
"It
was a really hard fought match, back-and-forth, tons of digs, and I don't think
it was real pretty offensively on either side," head coach Jen Greeny
said. "Really proud of this team to come away with the win and especially
on the road, and first time we've swept these two schools (Utah, Colorado) on
the road."
NOTES
Penny Tusa
totaled 19 kills in the contest, a career-high for the sophomore. Tusa also
recorded 13 digs for third double-double this season.
Olivia
Coale provided a career-high 19 digs in the match, along with adding one ace to
her stat-line.
Ashley Brown recorded her 12th double-double
of the year with 43 assists and 21 digs. This was Brown's third consecutive
double-double as well.
McKenna
Woodford led the offensive attack overall on the night with a match-high 22
kills, and added a solo block to her stat sheet.
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
The
Cougars will return home next to face the Wildcats of Arizona inside Bohler Gym
next Friday, November 2 with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.
:::::::::
FOOTBALL Tale
of the Tape: Washington State at Stanford
Cougfan.com
Oct 25 2018
CBS
FOOTBALL ANALYST and former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn says Stanford,
despite the home-field advantage, being favored over Washington State "doesn't
make a whole lot of sense." The 6-1/No. 14-ranked Cougars and 5-2/No.
24-ranked Card kick off Saturday at 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks). The Card are
favored by 3.
"Gardner
Minshew has been the most prolific passer in the Pac-12 this year … putting his
team in contention to win a Pac-12 championship. It’s just Stanford and really
Washington at the end of the season standing in his way," Quinn said.
He notes
that “this is a Stanford defense that’s really struggled against the pass,
giving up a ton of yards in the back end, not able to generate a ton of
pressure. So this looks like a favorable matchup (for WSU)." Click the
video to watch the complete 80-second segment.
STATISTICALLY
SPEAKING: The Stanford running game is a shell of its former self, but ball control
-- and ball care -- remains a huge point of emphasis for the Card. Cardinal
backs have only coughed up the ball four times (two of which were lost). WSU’s
offense is even stingier with its giveaways. The Cougars have lost the ball
just twice, Minshew has only been picked off five times and WSU has committed
the fewest turnovers in the conference. Stanford's D has a knack for forcing
turnovers, and is tied for first in the Pac-12 with 13. The unit is also
allowing 405 yards per game. Only three teams – Arizona, Oregon State and UCLA,
who sit at the bottom of the conference in wins – are giving up more.
GUNNING
FOR THREE IN A ROW: WSU has been Stanford’s recent nemesis of late. A
game-winning drive for the ages on a wintery Dad’s Weekend contest last November,
orchestrated by Luke Falk, gave the Cougars their second-straight win over
Stanford. In 2016, WSU waxed the 15th-ranked Cardinal, 42-16, on The Farm and
the win was the third of eight consecutive for the Cougars.
JUST HOW
GOOD IS MINSHEW? He leads the conference in touchdowns (24), passing yards
(2,805) and yards per game (400.7) and the next-best signal-caller is not close
in any of those categories. Nationally, the graduate transfer is the top dog in
yards per game average. Only Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins has thrown for more
yards and Minshew is 35th in quarterback efficiency despite playing in an
offense that throws the ball 40-plus times per game.
:::::::::::
In bracing
for Stanford, Cougs try to descend from GameDay high
WSU hoping
to avoid a letdown on road against Cardinal
By Dale
Grummert
Lewiston
Trib
Oct 27,
2018
During a group
interview of Washington State offensive lineman Liam Ryan this week, somebody
mentioned the Cougars' No. 14 ranking and their pursuit of the title in the
Pac-12 North.
He didn't
take the bait.
"We're
taking it game by game," Ryan said. "I think last year we took it too
far ahead. We were 6-0 and we lost at Cal."
Hmm.
Reporters probably weren't thinking much about that 37-3 buzz-kill in the
Berkeley. But the reference is apropos, since the Cougars are again hauling a
jetload of self-confidence to the California Bay Area, this time to face a
better team than last year's Bears.
In a
matchup that could prove critical in the tight North race, the Cougars (6-1,
3-1) play at No. 24 Stanford (5-2, 2-1) today at 4 p.m., technically considered
the underdog but riding a high that's comparable to what they were feeling a
year ago at Cal.
This time,
the Cougs aren't undefeated. But they're coming off one of the most resounding
wins in school history, a 34-20 defeat of Oregon that capped an exhilarating
day featuring ESPN GameDay's first-ever visit to Pullman.
Memories
of the catastrophe at Cal last year will maybe help Wazzu players stay
grounded.
"Yeah,
it was a good game," linebacker Jahad Wood understated about the win over
Oregon, "but we've got to redial, refocus. Stanford is a tough opponent.
They're a ranked team and they've got Bryce Love."
At least
that's the Cougars' assumption. The Cardinal's sensational tailback has been
limited with an ankle injury in recent weeks and is considered
"day-to-day." His health could be a pivotal factor, because neither
his backups nor Stanford's offensive linemen have lived up to recent standards
of The Farm, whose run game weirdly ranks fourth-to-last in the nation.
Hence an
increased reliance on 6-foot-5 quarterback K.J. Costello, who's completing 64
percent and has thrown 13 touchdown passes against six interceptions, and on
fabulous tight end J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who's averaging 17 yards a catch.
"Stanford
has kind of changed their style of play," WSU coach Mike Leach said.
"They're throwing it a bunch now. They used to be always grind, grind,
grind, play-action.
"Defensively,"
he added, "it's almost sparkplugs - they pulled out old ones and put in
new ones, really."
Yes, but
the Cardinal pass defense is tied for 97th in the national stat rankings and
has yet to face a quarterback like WSU graduate transfer Gardner Minshew, who
leads the nation in passing yards per game and has burst into the Heisman
Trophy conversation.
"I
think he's a perfect fit for what coach Leach does, being a very quick
decision-maker," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "He's got great
vision, throws the ball accurately. That's what coach Leach wants and that's
what he's got."
After
years of futility against Stanford, the Cougars have beaten the Cardinal the
last two years, rallying for a 24-21 win last season at Pullman. Shaw suggests
Leach has rejuvenated his Air Raid offense by adding new elements.
"I
think what Mike Leach has done in the last three years is very undersold
nationally, and I'm not saying that because we're playing them this week,"
the coach said. "I said this before the season. (It's) the variety that he
gives you, between quick passing, down-the-field passing, all the crossing
routes - mixing in draw, mixing in a running-back screen, mixing in a receiver
screen, mixing in his funky formations. He's started shifting (skill players,
presnap). Mike Leach never shifted before a few years ago."
One key
for the Cougars will be starting the game with gusto, as they did last week. If
Stanford takes an early lead, and if Love is healthy or the Cardinal otherwise
revive their run game, they have the girth and persistence to wear down WSU's
speed-first defense.
Another
key is descending from last week's GameDay euphoria.
"Taking
it game by game - that's all we can do," Ryan said. "Practice by
practice, tomorrow by tomorrow. You can't do anything but be in the
present."
Popular
Cougs
Washington
State ranks No. 1 in college football in percentage of favorable remarks on
Twitter, USA Today reported. The rankings were done by Block Six Analytics,
based in Chicago.
::::::::::::::::::
SOCCER
WSU
midfielder Maegan O’Neill overcomes pain, eyes NCAA Tourney
By Braden
Johnson Cougfan.com
PULLMAN --
What a difference a few months can make. For most of this calendar year,
including a summer with no impact training, Washington State soccer co-captain
Maegan O’Neill thought her senior season might may never happen -- or least not
happen in the way she envisioned following a breakthrough junior year.
A
herniated disc in her lower back -- the lumbosacral joint, to be exact --
became so constantly painful, whether sitting in class or trying to sleep, that
“there were lots of days where I sat there and didn’t know if I ever was going
to be the same player as I was before,” O’Neill tells Cougfan.com.
For
months, the poking, nagging pain extending from her back down her left leg
wouldn't go way and no amount of physical therapy offered relief. “It was
constantly there,” said the Spokane native and Ferris High graduate. “Even off
the field, it was pain that was constant ... That was the hardest part – even
when I stepped off the field, it was something I couldn’t get away from.”
In the
spring practice season it was tough for O’Neill to take her rehab slow. She had
earned her starting spot in the midfield as a sophomore and worried that by not
playing, the coaches would find a replacement. Eventually, O’Neill and the
coaching staff made the decision to scale back her training. During the summer,
she avoided all forms of contact and impact training and sat out many of the
team’s activities.
She
focused largely on cardio, utilizing the stationary bike, versa machine and
underwater treadmill. The 5-7 O’Neill also started traction exercises under the
guidance of athletic trainer Chris Lange. O’Neill attributes much of her
recovery to her work with Lange. “He knew I could get through it even in times
where I didn’t know that,” O’Neill said. “It was good to have him always
pushing me to go places I didn’t know I could go.”
Today,
O'Neill is in the midst of the senior year she had envisioned. In the
classroom, she is on track to graduate in December with a degree in
management/innovation and change. And on
the field, she is, in the words of teammates Maddy Haro, "the engine of
the team," playing a critical role in organizing WSU’s backline and delivering
set pieces to forwards. Earlier this month she earned Pac-12 Defensive Player
of the Week honors.
Ahead of
this Sunday’s Senior Day contest opposite No. 1 Stanford at Lower Soccer Field
in Pullman, O’Neill looks back on a memorable career in crimson.
“As a
senior captain, it’s going to be a great feeling knowing that I’ve accomplished
everything I wanted to and I'm leaving the program in such a great spot,” she
said. The Cougars, who advanced to the third round of last season's NCAA
Tournament, are 11-5-0 this season despite missing star goalie Ella Dederick,
who was lost early in the season with a knee tear.
FRIENDSHIP
PLAYED A ROLE in O’Neill’s recovery. She and Haro first met during their
official recruiting visits during 2014, then established an immediate
connection living in the dorms together as freshmen. O’Neill said because they
are similar in personality, it was like they had known each other for years.
“I think a
lot of it was just experiencing college workouts and then managing college classes,”
Haro said. “I just remember we were so tired all the time and we would go to
each other’s rooms after we took our naps.”
The pair
navigated weekends on College Hill together, enjoyed what Haro called “really
funny experiences” during Fourth of July holidays in Pullman and eventually
lived together during their sophomore and junior seasons.
Their
connection on the field is just as strong. Haro, whose 12th assist in
Thursday’s 3-2 win over Cal set the program’s single-season assist record, has
assisted on six of O’Neill’s eight career goals. They also share a
responsibility of keeping the defense organized – Haro relaying information to
O’Neill from the back line and O’Neill holding the ball on the Cougars’ side of
the field.
They live
separately now because of O’Neill’s early graduation, but their families and
mutual friends have grown close. The strong bond pushed O’Neill to work through
her rehab and return in time to complete her senior season. Haro attributed
O’Neill’s independent personality to her strong work ethic.
“I can’t
imagine the things she’s been through year-in and year-out,” she said of
O’Neill. “I think for her, it’s just knowing we needed to finish out our senior
year together. Our motivation – I don’t want to step out on the field without
Maegan, and I feel like that’s vice-versa.”
For her
part, O’Neill had unfinished business as well. On the docket included a third
NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons – which appears likely – and
continuing to help establish a winning culture.
“I
definitely wanted to finish what I started,” O’Neill said. “I knew I wouldn’t
have walked away from the team without doing what I needed to do this fall.”
O’NEILL’S
SENIOR CAMPAIGN HAS arguably been her best effort yet. She has scored five
times – three of them game-winners – and started every game since returning for
the Cougars’ road win over Nebraska on Aug. 31.
The
scoring output has even surprised O’Neill, though she said statistics have
never been important to her. She is still not fully recovered, though. Head
coach Todd Shulenberger’s staff has put O’Neill on a training plan to limit her
minutes in practice.
“She
trains some days a week and some days, she doesn’t,” he said. “We have to watch
her minutes – not so much in games, but in practice – and she gets that when
the whistle blows. We’re just moving cautiously through the practice regimen
and letting her be ready to go in games.”
O’Neill
still experiences some pain, too, which she attributes to “getting old.” But
you would never guess in watching her play. O’Neill still displays no fear in
the air when heading the ball off free kicks and corners in front of the net.
She sees
the offensive aspect of soccer differently than most players as well. Rather
than use power and finesse on a shot on goal, O’Neill often opts to smack the
ball low on the ground and spin it past an unsuspecting goalkeeper. Her quick
turnaround has amazed Haro.
“The girl
can’t even touch her toes, let alone her kneecaps, when she tries to stretch
her hamstrings, but she makes things look effortless regardless of the amount
of pain she’s in,” Haro said. “You would never have guessed the amount of
things that she’s had to deal with as far as injuries. Things get hard for
sure, but she always finds a way to power through. I don’t know how she does
it. I really don’t.”
Shulenberger
likens O’Neill’s swift recovery to her ability to balance a blue-collar
attitude with a calm and friendly off-field demeanor. When Shulenberger or the
assistants need a boost, O’Neill is usually there to help debrief or make a
joke and Shulenberger said O’Neill “balances him as well as he balances her.”
“That girl
is a winner,” Shulenberger said. “She is the nicest kid off the field, I want
to say that, but she is a warrior on the field and those things don’t match up
all the time.”
O’NEILL’S
EXPERIENCE DEALING with a serious injury has put her student-athlete experience
in greater perspective. “I think it gave me a purpose to perform the way I have
been,” she said. “I know what it’s like to not be on the field now, and to
watch my team do it without me, so being able to step out there every day is
not something I can take for granted.”
The
pregame ceremony should be extra memorable for O’Neill, as close to a WSU lifer
as any student-athlete. Both her parents and older brother, Connor, are
graduates. When she was seven months old, O’Neill attended the 1998 Rose Bowl
with her family.
Before
soccer consumed most of her free time, some of her best WSU memories stem from
family tailgates at her aunt and uncle’s motor home in the RV lot adjacent to
Beasley Coliseum before football games. “Obviously, I was young, so I wasn’t
around all the shenanigans,” O’Neill said.
After
graduation, O’Neill intends to move to the Seattle area and pursue a job in the
medical sales realm. Eventually, she wants to work in a management position.
"She’s
one of those players that’s a quiet success. If you don’t know her, then you
can’t appreciate her,” said Shulenberger.
FROM
THURSDAY’S 4-2 WIN OVER CAL: The Cougars snapped their five-game losing streak
behind a composed offensive effort. After falling behind 1-0 in the 14th
minute, WSU dialed up its intensity in front of the net, out-shooting the
Golden Bears, 18-6, and benefitted from four different goal-scorers.
Haro
equalized the match in the 15th minute off a deflected shot from junior forward
Morgan Weaver, who then put the Cougars ahead with a strike from the right side
of the box in the 37th minute. Cal tied the game at two just before the half,
but WSU used a pair of game-clinching goals from sophomore midfielders Sydney
Pulver and Bri Alger in the second half to ice the result.
Both
Shulenberger and Weaver attributed the offensive outburst to improved shot
selection and a sense of urgency. The result likely secured a spot in the NCAA
Tournament a two-game string of one-sided defeats versus Stanford and
Washington (7 p.m. on Nov. 2 at Lower Soccer Field).
“I think
we just realized after losing five games – if we want bigger than the Sweet 16
– something needed to change,” Weaver said. “It just got a little chaotic for
all of us. It was kind of like a sense of urgency was just lost, but we got it
back.”
UP NEXT:
When the Cougars take on Stanford on Sunday, they will attempt to hand the
Cardinal their first defeat in two years. Stanford completed an undefeated run
to the NCAA Tournament crown last season and aside from a draw with No. 5 Santa
Clara in September, are unblemished.
WSU has
played the Cardinal tight under Shulenberger, though. All three games vs.
Stanford under the fourth-year head man have resulted in tight, 2-1 defeats.
Last season, the Cougars had a chance to tie Stanford in the final minutes, but
a potential game-tying penalty kick was off the mark.
QUOTEABLE:
“It’s been frustrating. The past three years, we’ve had the same score of a 2-1
loss. I don’t want to be like Colorado who loses 7-0. I just hope that we all
come together, give it our all. I want to win as much as the next person, but
it would be that much sweeter on Senior Day.” - Maddy Haro on playing Stanford
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