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 Sarah Conwell leaps up for a shot the volleyball game on Thursday against New Mexico State in Memorial Gym. File Photo
The University of Idaho volleyball squad (8-6, 1-2 Western Athletic Conference) defeated Boise State 3-2 (25-13, 23-25, 22-25, 25-14, 15-9) in Boise on Saturday ending Idaho’s three game losing streak.
The Vandals must have received the kick that coach Debbie Buchanan hoped for as the team showed some of its highest stats of the season.
“We started out strong before fading a little in the second and third sets, but in sets one and four and through parts of set five we were really swinging,” Buchanan said.
Haley Larsen was definitely “swinging,” as she set a school record for kills in a career. She brought her total to 1,538. The previous record of 1,524 was set by Kelly Gibbons, 1981-84.
Larsen’s 31 kills also amounted to a personal top three single match performance for the senior outside hitter from Santa Clarita, Calif.
Buchanan knew Larsen would be an integral part of the Idaho offense even before the season began.
“Haley was a critical part of our offense this past season,” Buchanan said in a preseason interview. “As a three-time all-WAC player I look for her to be one of the top outside hitters in the WAC. She will continue to be a go-to player for us this season.”
Larsen was not the only Vandal re-writing the record books Saturday night. Debbie Pederson tied for 10th in Idaho’s all-time book with 10 block assists.
Sarah Conwell set a personal record as she made eight of Idaho’s 18.5 blocks. Conwell also posted 56 assists for Idaho.
Sarah Loney earned a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs, and Kelsey Yonker chipped in 21 digs.
“We were playing very high level volleyball and those were some of our best sets of the season,” Buchanan said. “It was a great team effort and I was happy with the way we battled back, especially after our loss earlier this week.”
On Thursday, Idaho fell to New Mexico State. Buchanan described that loss as the worst performance Idaho had given all season. The win over a rival may help boost the team back into its winning mentality.
The match allowed Idaho volleyball to maintain its status as the only Vandal team with a winning record this fall. The win resulted in Idaho’s first team victory over a conference opponent.
Vandal volleyball is also the only Idaho team with a win over a Division 1A opponent this fall.
Idaho hits the road again for a match with Nevada (5-8) at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Reno. Idaho leads the series with Nevada 10-7.
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