Oregon State is currently tied atop the West Coast Conference, and much of that success can be traced to one of the most impactful transfers in the country: Jenna Villa.
The Arlington native is in her first season with the Beavers after spending two years at Washington State, and the change of scenery has been significant. The junior guard has posted a (+10.4) jump in points per game, averaging (16.0) this season after scoring just (5.6) per game a year ago. She most recently poured in 25 points in Oregon State’s 69–68 win over Pepperdine today.
Villa’s production has climbed even further since conference play began. Thursday marked her third 20-point performance in the team’s first seven conference games, and she’s averaging (20.8) points, (4.3) rebounds, and (1.4) assists during that stretch. To put that growth into context, Villa did not record a single 20-point game in her two seasons in Pullman. This year, she already has five—including a 32-point outing against Pacific and a 27-point performance versus Oregon. She’s also narrowly missed the mark on several occasions, finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds against Virginia Tech and 18 points, nine rebounds, and three assists against Arizona State.
Her emergence has been critical for an Oregon State team navigating the season without Catarina Ferreira, who played a major role in last year’s West Coast Conference Tournament. When Ferreira returns, the Beavers project to have a compelling guard pairing between her and Villa next season.
Villa and Oregon State will be back in action Thursday in a showdown between the conference’s top two teams, as they face Gonzaga—who is also tied atop the standings. The two programs are set to meet twice over their next four games. ✨
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Jenna Villa is more than prepared for a great freshman season at Washington State. She was the 2023 Gatorade Washington Player of the Year.
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“I’ve never had anybody like her and I doubt I’ll ever have anybody like her again."
After leading Arlington to its 3rd straight state semifinals berth, WSU-bound guard Jenna Villa is The Herald's Girls Basketball Player of the Year, reports @ZacHereth
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Team Oregon beats Team Washington 93-80 in the WAVOR girls all-star game.
For WA, Wazzu-bound @jennavilla34 (Arlington) led all scorers with 23. @HassmannHope (Tahoma) had 12 pts, 6 boards. @SBLiveWA