For once, we get to write about a team that actually showed up. WSU Volleyball knocked down Texas State and moved to 3-1 on the season. That is a real record, earned on the road, against a team that probably thought they had a chance. Good for them. Good for us.
This is the kind of story that should make you feel something, because it is a direct contrast to the other news coming out of Pullman right now. You can read all about how WSU Volleyball showed up in Texas and gave the home team a scare and then go check on the football team, which apparently found the cellar and the lights are off. One program is building momentum. The other is trying to find a light switch. Volleyball is not a consolation prize. It is a program that is winning, and winning on the road, which is harder than winning in front of your own crowd. Texas State came in with a plan. Our Cougs had a better one.
Here is the take you can text to a friend: this volleyball team is going to be the reason you pay attention to the Pac-12 this fall. Football is a mess. Quarterback changes, benched starters, and power rankings that feel like a funeral. You can read about the Cougs turn to Owen Eshelman at QB, Pinnick benched for Oregon State and it is a story about scrambling. Volleyball is a story about execution. 3-1 is not a fluke. It is a statement. They went to Texas, they handled business, and they came home with a win that keeps them in the conversation for something bigger. If they keep this pace, they will be the team we talk about at the end of the season, not the one we make excuses for.
What I want to know is simple: can the rest of the athletic department take notes? Because right now, one team is carrying a flag and the other is tripping over it. Watch the next match. Watch how this team handles the pressure of being the one that actually delivers. That is the real story.