By Marilyn Anye (@AnyeMarilyn) – Spear Reporter – Junior middle blocker Learden Lee (11) celebrates with her teammates during SJSU’s first Mountain West win of the season against Wyoming on Thursday at Spartan Gym. (Photo by Marilyn Anye – Spear photographer)
San Jose State women’s volleyball (6-7, 1-2 MW) earned its first Mountain West Conference win of the season with a 3-1 victory over the University of Wyoming (7-7, 0-3 MW) on Thursday night at Spartan Gym.
Three of the four sets were decided by two points, but the Spartans found a way to finish two of them in their favor. They rallied from a four-point deficit late in the fourth set to secure the 25-23 match-clinching win.
After trailing 20-16, the Spartans worked their way back behind kills from senior outside hitter Devon DeNecochea and graduate student outside hitter Zuzana Kosíková.
Kosíková and senior middle blocker Ava Hewitt-Smith also combined for a late block as the Spartans tied the set at 23-23 before scoring the final two points.
“We finally flipped the script and we made plays when we needed to make plays,” SJSU head coach Todd Kress said. “We were the team that was scrappy, executed, and that’s what we need to do.”
DeNecochea led the Spartans with a season-high 14 kills and a .323 hitting percentage. She also recorded 6 kills in the opening set, including the set-winner in the Spartans’ 25-23 victory.
Hewitt-Smith finished it off with 10 kills on 17 attempts without an attack error for a .588 hitting percentage. She also led the Spartans with 7 blocks, just one off of tying for 10th in the program’s history.
The Spartans dealt with a similar tight finish in the second set but were unable to close it out. They held a 24-22 lead before the Cowgirls scored 4 consecutive points to take the set 26-24 and even the match at 1-1.
Kress said the difference late in the match happened because of the Spartans limiting the errors that have hurt the team in similar situations earlier this season.
“It’s the same team. We just didn’t err down the stretch tonight,” Kress said. “We didn’t make the errors, which was huge for us.”
SJSU finished with 55 kills and a .299 hitting percentage, while Wyoming only managed to maintain a .250 hitting percentage. The Spartans also outblocked the Cowgirls 7-5 and ended it with 15 more digs.
Senior setter Fatimah Hall and junior setter Hanna Darvas both recorded double-doubles. Hall finished with 22 assists and 12 digs, while Darvas added 21 assists and 11 digs.
Redshirt sophomore defensive specialist Orian Drore led the Spartans with 19 digs and added 7 assists as they continuously held off the Cowgirls through several extended rallies.
With the Spartans trailing 19-16 in the fourth set, Kress challenged the team during a timeout to change its approach in the final stretch.
“I need to see different body posture. I need to see a different look in your eyes,” Kress said. “There’s still volleyball to be played.”
The Spartans responded by outscoring the Cowgirls 9-4 the rest of the way, securing the 25-23 fourth-set win.
Kress emphasized that the win showed the Spartans were capable of changing their response in situations that had hurt them earlier in the season.
“We need to have confidence in ourselves and execute because we’re a good volleyball team,” Kress said.
The victory also marked SJSU’s first win over Wyoming since 2022, breaking a three-match losing streak.
SJSU will face Wyoming again at 1 p.m. Saturday at Spartan Gym in San Jose, Calif.
