WSU VOLLEYBALL
goes west for Apple Cup match
WSU
travels to Seattle to take on the Huskies followed by match with University of
Oregon
By COLIN
CONNOLLY, Evergreen reporter
September
20, 2018
No. 22 WSU
women’s volleyball team heads on the road for two tough matches to start Pac-12
play.
First, the
Cougars (9-1) will face No. 13 University of Washington (8-2). After that
match, they will head down to Oregon to face No. 12 University of Oregon (7-3).
Coming off
a 2-1 record and second place finish in the Western Kentucky University
tournament, Head Coach Jen Greeny said she was happy with her team’s overall
performance in non-conference play. She said it was a good tournament with
tough competition.
It took
all five sets against East Tennessee State University to beat WSU, but Greeny
said she was happy they went the distance.
“You want
to be in a tight match like that to see what you’re made of,” Greeny said.
She said
the Cougars had a good win against Western Kentucky University to snap their
opponent’s 28-game home winning streak but could never find the rhythm against
ETSU.
Going five
sets was good for the Cougars, and Greeny said she just wanted to see them fix
some of the mistakes they made as they prepare for this first weekend of Pac-12
play.
Having two
matches spread out over the weekend will be new for WSU as the team is used to
playing the tournament-style three games in 24 hours.
“It will
be nice to have more time to prepare for just one opponent,” Greeny said.
Rather
than preparing overnight and going a lot more on the fly and making in-match
adjustments, the Cougars now have more time to recover and have a well-planned
out scouting report.
Greeny
said now that WSU is in Pac-12 play, it will be facing a high-ranked opponent
every weekend. This weekend just happens to be two of them. Greeny is confident
that a difficult preseason prepared the team well for Pac-12 and said she wants
to continue to get better.
“Two very
good teams on the road, we just need to fix some of those mistakes we made last
weekend,” Greeny said.
The
Cougars will face the Huskies at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Alaska Airlines Arena,
and the Ducks at noon Sunday in the Matthew Knight Arena. Both matches can be
watched live on Pac-12 Networks
::::::::::::::::::
COUGARS' FOOTBALL
OPPONENT: Trojans trying to figure out what's wrong
USC
carries 1-2 record into matchup with Cougs
By Dale
Grummert
Lewiston
Trib
Sept 20,
2018
As a head
coach, Clay Helton generally views his team through a wide-angle lens. During
practice Monday, he hit zoom and spent the afternoon with his sputtering
offense.
"I
got my mad on too," he told reporters in Los Angeles afterward, though by
that time he was genial as usual. "Sometimes you get to be the head ball
coach and decide where you stand, and today I wanted to coach my butt
off."
This is
what happens when USC, celebrated over the decades for majestic running
attacks, rushes for negative-5 yards in a 37-14 loss, as the Trojans did last
week at Texas.
A year
after going 11-3 and claiming the Pac-12 championship, Troy is off to a 1-2
start, 0-1 in league play, and now tries to avenge its major setback of 2017, a
loss at Washington State. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. for an ESPN vehicle Friday at
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The most
visible challenge confronting the Trojans this season is filling the void left
by Sam Darnold, who forfeited his final two years of eligibility, was drafted
by the New York Jets as the No. 3 pick and earlier this month became the
youngest quarterback ever to start an NFL season opener.
In terms
of ambition, his replacement is setting an even faster pace. JT Daniels, who
led Mater Dei High of Santa Ana, Calif., to a national title last year,
graduated from that school a year early and is now starting for the Trojans as
a true freshman.
He's
showing plenty of rough edges, to nobody's surprise, and has thrown three
interceptions against one touchdown pass so far. He passed only 16-of-34 in a
conference loss at Stanford two weeks ago.
But the
Texas game suggests that Daniels' learning curve is not the Trojans' only
issue.
Ronald
Jones, their standout tailback, also left school early for the NFL, and his
talented successors have yet to come to the fore. Their defense, which lost
five starters from 2017, tended to falter on third down last week and has yet
to intercept a pass this year. Their special teams were catastrophic,
especially on a blocked field goal that resulted in a Texas touchdown and a
season-ending knee injury to USC kicker Chase McGrath.
"One
thing I've learned in 24 years of coaching is, your kids are going to react how
you react," Helton said. "If you don't show leadership, if you don't
show that, 'Hey, we understand exactly what the situation is, we understand the
issues, here's how to fix them, now let's get our jaw set and let's go do it,'
- if you don't provide that leadership, they're not going to do it."
Helton,
46, can draw encouragement from 2016, his first full season at the helm, when
the Trojans lost three of their first four games but bounced back to finish
10-3 and win the Rose Bowl. Darnold's sudden emergence as a talent and an
inspiration keyed that turnaround, and the Trojans are now looking for new
leaders.
"The
man in front of you, you gotta challenge him every day," receiver Tyler
Vaughns said this week, according to the Los Angeles Times. "We're all
leaders. We're all alpha males here. We all did whatever just to get here, but
we gotta show why we deserve to be here, why we deserve to wear the
jersey."
The
oddsmakers are giving them the benefit of the doubt. The Trojans are favored by
31/2 points over a WSU team that's 3-0 and still buoyed by its dramatic 30-27
win over No. 5 USC a year ago in Pullman. This is the Cougars' first road game
against Troy since a 10-3 win in 2013, but USC is now riding a 17-game home
winning streak.
The
Trojans' fan base is restless and not afraid to say so, but Helton doesn't seem
worried by that.
"The
beauty of college football is we all have jobs," he said. "As a coach
your job is to find a way to win and help your players win. The job of the
players is to go execute and perform. The job of the media is to report and
give your opinion. And the job of the fan is to show great passion.
"Passion
comes from winning and passion comes from losing," he said, "and
right now I understand the passion comes with losing. I've had very successful
seasons and I've been part of unsuccessful seasons. And emotions come with
both. If you can't handle it as a coach, you really shouldn't be in the
game."
:::::::::::::::::
FOOTBALL
USC's
Porter Gustin will be sacked against Washington State, at least for a half
By J.
Brady McCollough LA Times Sep 19, 2018 |
7:00 PM
Porter
Gustin did not leave his feet when his helmet made contact with the helmet of
Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger in the third quarter of USC’s 37-14 loss
Saturday. In his mind, he had not intended to make a dirty play in the
milliseconds after Ehlinger delivered the ball.
“In fact,
I didn’t even think it was going to be a roughing-the-passer [penalty],” Gustin
said this week. “I looked back and saw the call and was like, ‘Ah, wow.’ Then I
heard they were going into review for targeting, and one thing led to the next,
and then I was gone.”
Gustin was
well on his way to a monster day befitting of his “predator” position in the
Trojans defense. He had two sacks in the first half and was undoubtedly headed
for more disruption of the Texas attack. If Gustin hadn’t been called for
targeting, leading to his immediate ejection, it’s at least feasible that his
presence alone could have kept USC’s defense from wilting in the third quarter
when the Trojans were outscored 21-0.
As if that
wasn’t enough punishment for the Trojans, by rule Gustin must sit out the first
half of Friday’s night’s game against Washington State at the Coliseum. Having
to face Mike Leach’s air-raid passing game, which thrives on quick passes and
putting relentless pressure on defenses, there may not be a game on USC’s
schedule in which Gustin’s skills would be more necessary.
In 2½
games, Gustin has 5½ tackles for loss, 3½ sacks (10th nationally), one fumble
recovery and one deflection.
On the
other side, Washington State has thrown 176 passes in three games and has been
sacked only twice.
Even when
Gustin returns for the third quarter, USC may have to think differently about
what constitutes a successful pass rush against the Cougars.
“The
biggest thing is, maybe it won’t be sacks as much, but affect the quarterback,”
Gustin said. “Make him get off his spot, make him uncomfortable, make him slip
up and not make those accurate throws that he’s used to making when he’s
sitting back there in the pocket all comfortable.”
USC
Biggest
problem with USC defense is not hard to figure out
Sep 18,
2018 | 8:00 PM
Washington
State’s Gardner Minshew has been plenty relaxed after transferring as a
graduate of East Carolina.
Minshew
has completed 71% of his passes for 1,203 yards and eight touchdowns, with
three interceptions.
“The play
of the quarterback really stands out to me,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “I was
such a huge fan of Luke [Falk] last year, obviously the all-time passer in our
conference, and you thought there might be a dropoff, and there has been none.
The one thing coach [Mike] Leach has always done a good job of is finding a quarterback
that fits his system, and he’s found one.”
As a
senior captain, Gustin has emerged as an irreplaceable part of the USC defense.
As they did last year when Gustin was injured, the Trojans will depend on
defensive end Christian Rector to make an impact, along with younger players
who have shown promise in practice like Hunter Echols.
It will be
an opportunity to get players some big-game experience, but it’s still one more
thing this USC team will have to overcome on a short week.
Gustin
will watch the first half from the locker room and wait for his chance to spark
USC (1-2) to a much-needed victory.
“It’s
frustrating,” Gustin said. “At this point, it’s really out of my control. I’m
going to stay warm, make sure I’m keeping loose and keep an eye on the game.”
Aca’Cedric
Ware plays through knee pain
Helton
said that running back Aca’Cedric Ware has been dealing with knee pain for a
few weeks.
“It flared
up earlier in the week, so we limited his reps,” Helton said. “He looked better
today. We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow. He got good work today, though.”
:::::::::::;
September
19, 2018 / WSU Women's Tennis
Tennis
Opens Season Hosting Cougar Classic
From WSU
Sports Info
THIS WEEK:
The Cougars open their fall season as they compete by hosting the 2018 Cougar
Classic, Sept. 21-23 at the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts. UNLV Fall Invitational, Sept. 22-24, in Las
Vegas, Nev. Play begins at 10 a.m. Friday all three days. Additionally,
sophomore Michaela Bayerlova was invited to play at the 2018 Oracle/ITA Masters
in Malibu, Calif., Sept. 20-23.
COUGAR
CLASSIC DRAWS SET: The 2018 Cougar Classic will consist of two flights of
singles and two flights of doubles. Friday's schedule will feature two singles
and one doubles match, while Saturday includes one singles and two doubles
matches. Sunday will be finals in each flight. The cougars will be represented
by senior Tiffany Mylonas, along with freshmen Hikaro Sato and Yang Lee in the
Crimson Singles Flight, while senior Aneta Miksovska will be joined by juniors
Melisa Ates and Ege Tomey in the Gray Flight. In doubles play, Ates and Yang
will compete in the Crimson Doubles Flight and will be joined by Mylonas and
Sato. Miksovska and Tomey will play in the Gray Doubles Flight.
COUGAR
CLASSIC FIELD: Joining WSU in the 2018 Cougar Classic field tournament will be
Seattle, Idaho, Boise State and Montana State.
BAYERLOVA
IN ORACLE/ITA MASTER'S FIELD: Sophomore Michaela Bayerlova was an at-large
selection for the Oracle/ITA Masters. The event features the returning Player
of the Year (or other, as determined by the selection criteria) from each
Division I athletic conference, with two additional wild card spots. Bayerlova
enters as the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will face Army's Ana Joyner in
Thursday's first round. Bayerlova will also compete in the Mixed Doubles event,
teaming with Baylor's Sven Lah. The pair is seeded No. 6 in the field.
ROSTER
BREAKDOWN: For the 2018-19 season the Cougars will have three new players to
accompany the five returners. The returning roster consists of seniors Aneta
Miksovska and Tiffany Mylonas, along with juniors Melisa Ates and Ege Tomey, and
sophomore Michaela Bayerlova. Newcomers include junior transfer Jovana Knezevic
along with freshman Yang Lee and Hikaro Sato.
BAYERLOVA
STARTS 2018 AT NO. 17 IN ITA PRESEASON RANKING: Washington State sophomore
Michaela Bayerlova will begin the 2018-19 season No. 17 in the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association (ITA) preseason rankings. The ranking is the highest by a
Cougar tennis player in program history. Bayerlova, from Krumbach, Germany,
finished her 2018 season ranked No. 29 after a tremendous freshman campaign
which saw her post a 28-6 overall record, becoming the first WSU player to
reach the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship.
COACH
HART: Lisa Hart is entering her 16th season as the head coach at Washington
State. Hart has accumulated 1202 wins over her tenure, finishing the last
season with a 21-7 record.
::::::::::::
September
19, 2018 / WSU Soccer
Pac-12
Play Opens For No. 14 Soccer
The
Cougars head to No. 8 UCLA Friday night.
From WSU
Sports Info
#16
WASHINGTON STATE (7-0-0, 0-0-0 Pac-12)
at #8 UCLA
(5-1-1, 0-0-0 Pac-12) | Fri., Sept. 21 | 8 p.m.
Watch Live | Pac-12 Networks (JB Long (play-by-play), Tammy Blackburn
(Analyst))
Live Statistics | WSUCougars.com
>
Washington State enters the weekend unbeaten on the year having won 7-straight,
tying the program record for consecutive wins in a season and to start a
season.
> WSU
is one of just 6 teams in DI, and the only Pac-12 team, still unbeaten and
untied in 2018.
> WSU
enters the week ranked #14 in the coaches poll, its highest ranking in the
coaches poll since 1993.
> The
Cougars' remain ranked #12 in TopDrawerSoccer and SoccerAmerica, the
second-highest ranking for WSU only behind a #11 ranking (twice) last in 2007.
> Last
season, the Cougs upset #2 UCLA, 1-0, at Lower Soccer Field, the biggest upset
in WSU program history.
> Maddy
Haro leads the nation in assists (8) and assists/game (1.14).
>
Morgan Weaver enters the weekend tied for No. 8 all-time in career goals scored
with 20. She is tied for third in the Pac-12 in scoring.
> Nine
different Cougars have scored the team's 18 goals on the year with six
different game-winning scorers.
> The
Cougs have scored two of the fastest goals in recent history over the weekend
netting at 1:57 vs Montana and 2:33 vs Cal Poly.
> WSU
is 4th in the Pac-12 and 22nd in the nation in scoring entering conference play
at 2:57 goals/game.
>
Defensively, WSU is 4th in the Pac-12 and 30th in the nation in goals against
average at 0.57.
LAST
SEASON AGAINST UCLA - AN UPSET FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
In
conference play, the Cougs posted a win for the ages as WSU upset #2 UCLA, 1-0,
at home at Lower Soccer Field. The win tied for the biggest upset in program
history after beating #2 Washington, 1-0 (2OT) on Nov. 3, 2000. The win marked
the Cougs ninth win against a top-10 opponent all-time. Maegan O'Neill netted
the winner in the 4' of play while the defense shutout the high-powered Bruins'
attack.
RECORD
START FOR WSU
For the
second time in program history the Cougars have started a season 7-0-0 matching
their record from 2015 which is also the Cougars' longest win streak in a
single season. The 2015 season was a record-breaking season for WSU as the
Cougars won an all-time high 14 games and finished third in the Pac-12 in head
coach Todd Shulenberger's first year in Pullman.
WSU's
longest win streak spanning multiple seasons is 10 games from Oct.14, 1990 to
Sept. 11, 1991.
:::::::::::::::
WSU
football
Weekly WSU
football chat transcript - 9/19/2018
Wed.,
Sept. 19, 2018, 9:54 a.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
Sep 19,
10:01 AM
srchat
(Admin): Welcome everyone to live chat No. 4. Taking all questions…
Sep 19,
10:03 AM
SeaStorm24:
2 Questions: 1. Do you think WSU will be able to stop USC’s rushing attack? 2.
What did you think of the Captain Marvel trailer?
Sep 19,
10:06 AM
srchat
(Admin): 1. Yes, I do. USC had some obvious issues there last week against a Texas
team that hadn’t been statistically good at stopping the run and I’m not sure
the Trojans can make those fixes in a short week. 2. I haven’t seen it, but now
you’ve given me something to do when the chat’s over.
Sep 19,
10:06 AM
Uncle
Larry (Guest): Sorry I missed last week. I had to listen to someones life
story. Also, the link is sometimes difficult to find on the web page.
Sep 19,
10:07 AM
srchat
(Admin): No problem, but you can always find the link on our site and I’ll
(usually) share it on Twitter a few times beforehand. Here’s where to find it
online. http://www.spokesman.com/sports/team/wsu-football/
Sep 19,
10:07 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): I noticed the 2nd string corners got to play some last Saturday, I saw
Hicks who I think changed his number to 18 but I didn’t recognize the other
corner, did you see who came in?
Sep 19,
10:07 AM
srchat
(Admin): The other backup corner would be Marcus Strong. Or could you be
referencing someone else?
Sep 19,
10:10 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): It was someone else, I basically consider Strong a starting corner
Sep 19,
10:11 AM
srchat
(Admin): And he basically is. Could’ve been Armani Marsh, he got in as well.
Sep 19,
10:12 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): Do you think Helton loses his job if SC goes down this Friday?
Sep 19,
10:14 AM
srchat
(Admin): Surely a number of SC fans would like to see it happen if the Trojans
lose their third in a row, but personally it still seems a little rash this
early. Especially with a true freshman QB.
Sep 19,
10:14 AM
Guest909
(Guest): From where you view in fall camp, have the Cougs met or surpassed your
expectations so far? I had 2-1 to this point so definitely surpassed for me.
Sep 19,
10:15 AM
srchat
(Admin): I did pick 3-0, but only expected one of those games to be a blowout.
I didn’t think they’d dominate Wyo and EWU like they did, so that’s been
impressive.
Sep 19,
10:16 AM
Uncle
Larry (Guest): What worries you most about USC and what are you most confident
about WSU in this game?
Sep 19,
10:18 AM
srchat
(Admin): Bad as they’ve been, USC to me is always a team that can beat you with
sheer talent. Can’t make many assignment errors and they’ve won their last 17
at the Coliseum, so you have to take that into account as well. I think the
defense will make life difficult for JT Daniels with all the blitzes and
pressures they bring.
Sep 19,
10:18 AM
Patrick
Driscoll: Any news on the status of Derek Moore? It’d be nice to get him back
in the mix on the D-line, especially after they were pushed around at times vs
Eastern.
Sep 19,
10:19 AM
srchat
(Admin): Nothing yet, but I have a gut feeling this might be a long term injury
and at this point I’m not sure it would make a lot of sense to rush him back.
Sep 19,
10:20 AM
Cougarfs
(Guest): We can all agree, Minshew better than Falk, right?
Sep 19,
10:20 AM
srchat
(Admin): Ha, I’ll leave that to you guys.
Sep 19,
10:21 AM
Uncle
Larry (Guest): But Phelps just said he hopes bring the heat with 4 so he
doesn’t have to blitz against USC.
Sep 19,
10:22 AM
srchat
(Admin): Yeah, it sounds like that’ll be the initial plan but I could see them
changing things up. Think the more you force Daniels into making quick
decisions, the better off you are.
Sep 19,
10:22 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): Who do you think is the best team in the Pac 12 south, kind of a crap
shoot right now.
Sep 19,
10:24 AM
srchat
(Admin): Crap shoot is a good word for it. I’d probably take Colorado, though
they’ve played a relatively soft schedule to this point. Utah is a close
second. ASU is third.
Sep 19,
10:24 AM
Guest8037
(Guest): There were some defensive breakdowns in coverage against EWU. What did
you see on tape as the cause of this? Important against USC skill guys to
remained disciplined.
Sep 19,
10:24 AM
srchat
(Admin): Miscommunication, for the most part. Pretty untypical for that group,
you hadn’t seen a lot of it the first two games.
Sep 19,
10:25 AM
SeaStorm24:
Can you help get the Mazza Balls nickname going? Having trouble getting
traction there, but I think it’s a winner.
Sep 19,
10:25 AM
srchat
(Admin): Don’t worry, we’ve got four years.
Sep 19,
10:25 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): Do you think UW will lose one more game or do you see them winning
out?
Sep 19,
10:27 AM
srchat
(Admin): Going unbeaten in conference play is extremely challenging. If any UW
team could do it, it’s this one, but I see a loss somewhere. At Oregon or vs.
Stanford if I had to choose one.
Sep 19,
10:27 AM
Guest4711
(Guest): Will UCLA win a game this year with WSU-OSU byes?
Sep 19,
10:28 AM
srchat
(Admin): Frankly, you look at their schedule and don’t really see a game
they’ll be favored to win. But an 0-12 season under Chip Kelly just doesn’t seem
right, so I think they’ll find one somewhere.
Sep 19,
10:30 AM
srchat
(Admin): Anybody want to take a stab at predicting WSU’s Pac-12 record?
Sep 19,
10:31 AM
Uncle
Larry (Guest): 6-6
Sep 19,
10:31 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): Do you think the WSU football team will have more Pac12 victories then
the basketball team this year?
Sep 19,
10:32 AM
srchat
(Admin): I picked six wins for the football team this year. Boy, that would
sure make for an awful basketball season…
Sep 19,
10:32 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): 4-5
Sep 19,
10:33 AM
DertingSanchez
(Guest): Our undersized D-Line seemed to have trouble getting any pressure on
Gabrud when there wasn’t a blitz called. Did you see the same thing, and is
that a worry going into conference play?
Sep 19,
10:36 AM
srchat
(Admin): I’m not sure it’s too problematic yet. EWU had a real veteran
offensive line. That’s not to say it’ll be better than USC’s, but I felt they
got enough pressure on Gubrud to force him into some bad plays - then blitzed
when necessary. The lack of size is always a concern, but the Cougars usually
find ways to work around it.
Sep 19,
10:40 AM
Guest4711
(Guest): Can’t remember this much speed / skill in 2 classes like last 2. Any
buzz around the young SO - FR ‘s that seems to be louder than normal?
Sep 19,
10:42 AM
srchat
(Admin): I’m especially intrigued by a few of those freshman defensive backs -
Patrick Nunn, Halid Djibril, Kedron Williams, Tyrese Ross. Think that’ll be a
great corps for the Cougars in a few years.
Sep 19,
10:42 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): What’s your thoughts on the Gesser situation?
Sep 19,
10:44 AM
srchat
(Admin): I thought it was extremely brave/courageous/important for Alyssa
Bodeau and Lindsey Streets to share their stories.
Sep 19,
10:45 AM
srchat
(Admin): Also liked the university recognizing that in its official press
release.
Sep 19,
10:45 AM
Uncle
Larry (Guest): How is the recruiting going? Any uptick in verbals? As of a few
weeks ago WSU only had a handful.
Sep 19,
10:48 AM
srchat
(Admin): It’s started to pick up a smidgen the last few weeks with the two
verbals from Utschinski and Naulu.
Sep 19,
10:48 AM
Guest4391
(Guest): Do you think Pelluer ever had chance of serious playing time at ‘Bama
Sep 19,
10:49 AM
srchat
(Admin): Eh, I don’t really know who plays LB there but I’m sure it’s the one
5-star guy, the other 5-star guy and the 5-star guy, so I’m sure it would’ve
been a hard depth chart to crack. B
Sep 19,
10:50 AM
JFM COUGS
(Guest): I read the Spokesman article yesterday and there was one part that
made no sense to me, in the car the girl pushed away Gesser’s hand and then
invited him into her apartment? Did anyone else notice that, makes no since?
Sep 19,
10:56 AM
srchat
(Admin): Certainly can’t pretend to know what was happening in the moment, but
it’s important she came out and told her story, so maybe best to leave it at
that.
Sep 19,
10:56 AM
Harvey__Road:
5-7
Sep 19,
10:56 AM
Guest4711
(Guest): Uncle Rico, Mewtwo, THE Mississippi moustache… Are there other Minshew
nicknames?
Sep 19,
10:57 AM
srchat
(Admin): Mississippi Mustache is my fav. so far. I hadn’t heard Mewtwo though…
Sep 19,
10:57 AM
Uncle
Larry (Guest): Does Mike Leach only cough when doing press conference and
interviews or does he always cough regardless of who he is talking to?
Sep 19,
10:59 AM
srchat
(Admin): Think he’s just a cougher, to be honest. Have seen it on-camera and
off-camera.
Sep 19,
11:02 AM
srchat
(Admin): Thanks all for joining. I’ll be headed down to Los Angeles (very
early) tomorrow morning, so continue to follow our coverage leading up to
Friday night’s game. Until next time…
#
