COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: Ryan, Cougars headed to NCAAs

| November 29, 2021 1:00 AM

From news services

For the sixth consecutive season the Washington State volleyball team is dancing as the Cougs earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as announced Sunday evening.

WSU heads to Waco, Texas. to take part in the Baylor regional hosted by the 5-seed, Baylor Bears.

The Cougs (19-11) will take on Big Sky Conference tournament champion Northern Colorado (24-6) in the opening round of the tournament, Thursday at 2:30 p.m., with the winner playing the winner of Baylor (20-5) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (19-9) on Friday at 5 p.m.

Regional semifinals are Thursday, Dec. 9, and the regional finals Dec. 11. The national semifinals are Thursday, Dec. 16, with the national championship on Dec. 18. Championship weekend will take place in Columbus, Ohio, at Nationwide Arena.

The Cougs are one of just 17 teams to qualify for the last six NCAA Tournaments.

WSU finished the regular season tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 after posting a 13-7 conference record. The 13 wins were the most for the Cougs under head coach Jen Greeny while overall WSU won 19 matches on the year, including 12 over the AVCA top-100.

Katy Ryan, a freshman right side hitter from Lakeland High, is fourth on the Cougars with 229 kills, and second in hitting percentage.