PULLMAN, Wash. – Northwestern State dropped both of its matches on the first day of Washington State's Cougar Challenge, falling in straight sets each time.
 
Washington State 3, NSU 0
 
The first serve of the match with the No. 17 ranked Cougars was a prime indicator for how things would go the rest of the way for NSU.
 
WSU got its first of 14 total service aces to start the match, one of many points on the day that would come as a result of serves that kept the Demons off balance in 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-11) match.
 
NSU hung close with the long, athletic and powerful Cougars early, getting a kill from Reaghan Thompson to make it 8-5, but the first of two three-straight-ace runs of the match for WSU came a few moments later. The serving run by Lana Radakovic stretched the lead to 17-8 giving the Cougars firm control of the proceedings.
 
It was part of a larger 8-1 stretch that ended the 25-13 first set.
 
Two aces in the first four points of the second set got the Cougars out of the gate quick and the second three-ace run, this time from Pia Timmer, pushed the second-set lead to double figures as part of a 7-0 run.
 
The Cougars mixed their service throughout the entire match in terms of power, placement and timing keeping the Demons out of system most of the match and creating easy offensive opportunities on their end. Difficult to control serves led to multiple over passes by the Demons setting up easy kills at the net or allowing the Cougars to set up their many offensive options.
 
Reaghan Thompson and Teresa Garza combined for the first block of the game for either team in the second set and Madisynne McQueen powered home three kills in the match.
 
 
Tulsa 3, NSU 0
 
In evenly contested match with the Golden Hurricane, a late rally in the first set fell just short for the Demons and another one hurt them in the second in the 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) loss to Tulsa.
 
Down 17-11 late in the opening set, a quick three-point burst from the Demons with kills from both Jordan Gamble and Teresa Garza brought them within three points. The Hurricane stretched the lead back to five before a timeout helped stifle the momentum.
 
Two straight kills out of the break from Reaghan Thompson and Tessa Gerwig started a 5-1 NSU run that made it a 22-21 game. Thompson added a second kill in the run to answer one from Tulsa and Ashlyn Svoboda added an ace and Makenna Tryon another kill.
 
Tessa Gerwig made it 23-22 two serves later, but the run ended on consecutive kills from Tulsa's top target on the night Kayley Cassaday, who finished the match with an match-leading 18 kills.
 
The Demons held the lead for the majority of the second set, building their biggest lead of three points on two different occasions before the midpoint of the set. After Tulsa tied the frame at 14, NSU answered on consecutive points on a kill from Teresa Garza and a block, one of eight in the match for the Demons, from Thompson and Gerwig.
 
The set-changing run from the Hurricane came with NSU leading 19-17 scoring four straight points to take the lead before and NSU timeout to try and squelch the momentum. Tulsa found an ace out of the timeout to extend the run before a perfect tip shot from Garza ended it to get the Demons back with a pair.
 
NSU got within a point twice in the final five serves of the set thanks to kills from Symone Wesley and Gamble, but the Hurricane found answers each time and closed the set with an 8-3 run to steal the second and take a 2-0 lead in the match. 
 
In the final set, the lead only grew beyond three twice, both held by Tulsa but immediately cut down to three or fewer on the next opportunity. Thompson and Garza combined for a block late in the set to make it 17-15, and Gerwig made it 18-16 before the final Tulsa push that ended the match.
 
Two kills and two Demon miscues stretched the lead to its largest of the set and Tulsa closed the night with two straight kills from Cassaday completing the sweep.
 
NSU had two players record double-digit kills for the first time this season with Garza and Gerwig each totaling 10. Garza also earned her second double-double of the week with a team-leading 13 digs. Thompson finished the match with five blocks and Gamble added three more including two solo stops.
 
The Demons finish the weekend at the Cougar Challenge against Drake and 5 p.m. CT.