Beavers volleyball struggle to win consecutive sets, drop weekend matchups against Washington State, University of Washington

Kateryna+Tkachenko+spikes+the+ball+in+Gill+Stadium+on+Friday%2C+November+4%2C+2022.+Kateryna+Tkachenko+specializes+as+an+Outside+Hitter.+

Seth Bagasani

Kateryna Tkachenko spikes the ball in Gill Stadium on Friday, November 4, 2022. Kateryna Tkachenko specializes as an Outside Hitter.

After Friday’s women’s volleyball tough loss against the Washington State Cougars, the Beavers hoped to push back in Sunday’s game against the University of Washington Huskies in Gill Coliseum. However, the Beavers ended up taking a second loss (10-25; 25-23;13-25;23-25). 

Starting slowly in the first set getting dominated with a 15-point difference, the Beavers were able to bounce back with an exciting second set.

The Beavers put up a tough competition against the Huskies with a solid defense. Sophomore libero Ryan White was able to pick up anything the Huskies threw at her. 

Alongside White, setter Izzi Szulczewski also stood out with great defense as well as better attacks from both the front and back row. Middle blocker Kinley Swan came in at 24-13 with the kill that would give them the set.

With the intent to carry that momentum into the next set, the Beavers, unfortunately, fell short to the Huskies yet again in a set that finished at 13-25. 

Struggling to pick up momentum, the team began to receive many of the balls the Huskies threw at them. That being said, the difficulty with putting the ball away kept them from catching up.

In a complete turnaround in the 4th set, the Beavers picked the confidence back up in a match that would be the point for point. 

As a whole, the team had a noticeable improvement from the previous set. With outside hitter Kateryna Tkachenko getting her fifth kill of the match, middle blocker DiLara Ünal getting her fifth solo block of the year, and Szulczewski getting her third ace of the match, the Beavers made this fourth set into one that kept fans on the edge of their seats. 

Unfortunately, with the score being tied at 23-23, the Huskies were then able to scrape together the last two points.

 

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