The Idaho volleyball team was challenged to stay on top of the Big Sky Conference North division Thursday night against North Dakota.
After winning four straight matches, the Vandals’ winning streak ended in a 3-0 loss (22-25, 20-25, 22-25) at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is Idaho’s first road loss since Oct. 9 against Portland State.
No Vandal player earned 10 or more kills with outside hitters Katelyn Peterson and Sarah Sharp leading Idaho with eight. Peterson, the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week, earned half of her total kills in the third set.
Idaho was unable to hit above .200, ending the night with a .133 to North Dakota’s .219.
Sophomore middle blocker Torrin Crawford led Idaho with a .364 hitting percentage among Vandals who earned more than one kill. Crawford had four kills.
The Vandals also committed five service errors from five different players. Senior setter Meredith Coba committed zero errors from the service line and earned three aces along with 19 assists.
Coba became the fourth Idaho player to hit three aces in a match this season.
With Thursday’s loss, Idaho is now 10-5 in Big Sky play and 4-6 on the road.
Idaho’s final opponent of the regular season will be the Northern Colorado Bears. The two teams face each other at 11 a.m. Saturday in Greeley, Colorado. Idaho began conference play against the Bears Sept. 24 with the Vandals reigning supreme with a 3-1 victory.
The Bears defeated Eastern Washington in five sets at Cheney, Washington, Thursday. The Eagles loss kept Idaho on top of the North division while Northern Colorado improved its record to 9-6.
If Idaho wins Saturday, it will end the season on top of the North division going into the Big Sky Tournament Nov. 19-21.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected]