The Cougars (5-5, 0-0 Pac-12) play in their first Pac-12 conference matches since the 2023 season Thursday and Saturday.
WSU plays at Fresno State (5-6, 0-0 Pac-12) Thursday at 6 p.m., then heads up north to take on Oregon State (5-6, 0-0 Pac-12) Saturday at 1 p.m.
Fresno heads into Thursday on a two-match win streak. The Bulldogs defeated Saint Mary’s and New Mexico last weekend.
They rely heavily on outside hitter Jenna Legault, who leads the Pac-12 in points (5.08), kills (4.02) and service aces (0.68) per set. While she is dominant, this leaves Fresno relatively unbalanced.
The Bulldogs play in a 6-2 formation, meaning three hitters are always in the front row, but the player with the second-most kills on the team, opposite Kiley Devery, has over 100 fewer. They also rank last in the conference in assists and kills per set and second-to-last in points per set.
The Fresno defense, statistically, has not stood out either. They allow the third-lowest hitting percentage (.208) and the second-most kills per set (13.25) in the conference.
Oregon State will be a different match for the Cougs. The Beavers play a 5-1 rotation, meaning one setter is on the court at all times, even in the front row. They are also much more balanced.
The offense has two hitters — OH AC Froehlich and OPP Taylor Treahy — averaging over three kills per set. Middle blocker Alana Marrs has added two per set in addition to 41 total blocks. Couple those players with setter Jackie Matias, who is second in the conference in assists per set, and the Beavs have a potent offense.
Their defense plays its part as well, holding opponents to a .187 hitting percentage, fourth-best in the Pac-12, and notching 2.25 blocks per set, fifth in the conference. The Cougars are hitting .209 this year.
Regardless of the opponent, Schroeder said Tuesday in his weekly presser that the team is approaching this two-game stretch one match at a time.
WSU has lost five out of its last six matches, including back-to-back defeats to Long Beach State last week, after starting 4-1. Schroeder said the team believes it could have defeated each team it lost to.
“Whether we could be 10-0 or not, you know, that might be … that’s the goal,” he said. “But I do reasonably think that we could be sitting at 8-2, 7-3.”
Despite the team’s 5-5 start, Schroeder said the team’s goal is to win the conference and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. He said earning an at-large bid would be tough given their record, but that “winning a Pac-12 Championship is still on the table for us.”