Captivating team performances and a milestone 200th victory for Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan made it a good weekend for Idaho volleyball.
The Vandals turned things around at the Bronco Volleyball Classic going 3-0 after going winless the previous week. Buchanan’s signature 200th win came against cross-state rival Boise State in the first match of the weekend on Thursday.
“Numbers are great, but I’m not chasing numbers,” Buchanan said. “Anytime we beat Boise State, it’s such a rivalry and it’s big for these kids. We’re here to come out and compete each game. It’s an honor, obviously many players down the road have helped get us there, but we’re taking it one game at a time and we have a goal in mind at the end of the year and we’ve got to keep working towards that.”
The goal at the end of the year for the sought after WAC Championship title is nothing new for the longest tenured volleyball coach in school history. Based on the performances at the Bronco Volleyball Classic, the Vandals seem to be gearing towards redemption.
Three Vandals received tournament honors for the three victories this last weekend against Boise State, Sacramento State and North Texas. Outside hitter Katelyn Peterson set the tone against BSU with 11 kills and was a dig away from her first career double-double scooping up nine while junior middle blocker Alyssa Schultz’s 12 kills and three blocks helped solidify the 3-2 winning effort.
Peterson continued to put up prime-time numbers against the Hornets with a career-high 18 kills and a .457 hitting percentage. Schultz hit .545 with 12 kills and no errors on 22 swings and four blocks.
Peterson’s career-high numbers were only temporary as she surpassed them with 20 kills against North Texas on Saturday. Vandal outside hitter Jessica Hastriter dropped 23 kills and a .538 hitting percentage for her career-best as the team continued to show player potential.
Sophomore setter Meredith Coba balanced out the offense to give her outside hitters opportunities for some breakout matches in the Bronco Classic. Coba hit .309 total to level out the team’s .230 hitting percentage going into the tournament.
Her time to shine was the Vandals’ third consecutive match win coming against North Texas with a career high 67 assists.
Coba earned tournament MVP in her second award-winning performance of the year since the season opener. Schultz and Peterson followed suit with all-team honors. Hastriter barely missed the cut despite career-high numbers and consistency in what is looking to be her best season at Idaho.
“Obviously with Meredith being the MVP, a lot of that was because of her distribution,” Buchanan said. “Offensively our numbers wouldn’t have been that good of she wasn’t making some good decisions. You can’t have that without a good setter.”
After three consecutive wins in the Bronco Classic, Buchanan has 202 wins with a season ahead full of new opportunities for her young team.
Idaho hits the court again Thursday against Washington State followed by Nevada on Friday in Pullman. The Cougars are 10-0 on the season and the Wolf Pack is 2-7 while the Vandals are 5-4.
Aaron Wolfe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu