The top two volleyball teams in the Big Sky Conference North division duked it out Saturday night, fighting to be the undisputed leader of the division.
Idaho salvaged a 3-1 victory (25-12, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21) over the Eastern Washington Eagles on senior night at the Memorial Gym. The Vandals now lead the division with a 10-4 record.
“We did a lot of really good things, especially on the serve and pass side,” Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said. “We’re a different team than we were (nine games ago). We’ve been getting better every week. Our younger players are getting more and more experience.”
Senior defensive specialist Jenna Ellis became the first Vandal to reach 1,500 digs, extending her record to 1,512.
“We worked real hard for this moment to come out on top of our side,” said Ellis, who had 14 digs. “(As the season went forward), that was our number one goal. We’re just real proud of everyone because we had to pull together as a team to make it happen.”
Senior outside hitters Katelyn Peterson and Tineke Bierma earned a combined 20 kills, with Bierma leading Idaho with 11.
Bierma said the entire team played well and remained steady throughout the match.
Senior setter Meredith Coba had 26 assists.
Coba said the win was a good way for her fellow seniors to go out at the Memorial Gym.
The four seniors said the win ranks as one of their favorite memories at Idaho.
Coba said the senior class is continually making memories.
“We’re living it right now,” Coba said. “Every day we’re just competing to go further and further and it’s been made possible. I think we’re just creating memories as we go. We have a lot down (under) our belt, but we have a lot more to go.”
“They’ve been a huge part of what we’ve done,” Buchanan said of the seniors. “They’ve been a huge part of our recruiting and really help define our program. It’s hard to see those kids go, but (I’m) totally excited to watch what they’re going to do in the future as they move on and they’re always going to be a Vandal.”
The non-seniors for Idaho also made their presence known against the Eagles. Junior defensive specialist Terra Varney led the Vandals with 17 digs and two aces and sophomore middle blocker Torrin Crawford had five block assists.
Sophomore outside hitter Becca Mau scored the game-winning kill. Mau said the team turned it around in the fourth set after losing in set three.
“In the third set, we didn’t really have that urgency that we had in the first two sets,” Mau said. “Coming back into the fourth, we switched up some personnel again just to give it a different look and things just started clicking and we pulled away.”
Idaho will play their final two games of the regular season on the road. It first plays North Dakota at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Vandals lost their first match against North Dakota in five sets Sept. 26.
Mau said Idaho needs to keep playing like it did Saturday to remain at first in the division.
“(We need to) just take care of our side of the court, keep that urgency and just play our game,” Mau said.
Buchanan said she doesn’t feel like major adjustments need to be made.
“We just need to keep pushing,” Buchanan said. “We just have to keep playing clean volleyball.”
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected]