Idaho volleyball is currently riding its longest winning streak ever under Head Coach Debbie Buchanan, and this week’s matches bring another string of dominance into play.
The Vandals will put their 11-match winning streak on the line against Montana and Montana State, two teams that have struggled mightily against Idaho. The Montana schools are a combined 17-1 against Idaho, dating back to the 2014 season, but neither matchup will be an easy victory.
Montana will take the floor first on Thursday in Memorial Gym, bringing with them a seven-match losing streak that started with a sweep at the hands of the Vandals Oct. 13. The Grizzlies started strong with a 5-2 record in Big Sky confer- ence play, but the streak has dropped them to eighth in the conference.
The Grizzlies are relatively middling in terms of team statistics, but they do have a few individual contributors that can flip a set. Senior outside hitter Mykaela Hammer is eighth in the Big Sky with 3.19 kills per set. She is also second on the team with 60 blocks and she leads the team with 361 total points. No other player has more than 190 on the season.
Sophomore middle blocker Baily Permann leads the defensive with 0.85 blocks per set and 72 on the season. In spite of the losing streak, the Grizzlies are still 5-6 on the road and have a coach who has cut her teeth with nearly 10 years inside the program.
The Vandals can secure a win by following the same blueprint they used during the teams’ first match. Senior middle blockers DeVonne Ryter and Reece Carman should be able to lock down the net and make plenty of blocks to get points and force the Grizzlies out of rhythm.
Montana State will come to Moscow Saturday, Nov. 10. The Bobcats are in similarly rough straits, having lost their last three to some of the Big Sky’s best (Northern Arizona) and worst (Southern Utah).
The Bobcats rely on a combination of contributors to scrape by on offense. Six different players average at least 1.5 kills per set, led by outside hitters Natalie Passeck with 2.81 and Hannah Scott with 2.75. Montana State is also fourth in the Big Sky in digs with 15.71 per set, with most of that production coming from junior libero Allyssa Rizzo with 5.39 digs per set. Scott and Passeck also aid in the defensive effort with 2.18 and 1.99 digs per set, respectively.
During its last time out, Idaho dropped its first set to the Bobcats before winning three close sets to take the match. No set was decided by more than four points and the final set went to extra points. Freshman middle blocker Nikki Ball was a force at the net with nine blocks and she will have to replicate that performance to ensure another win for Idaho.
The Vandals will take on Montana 7 p.m. Thursday before facing Montana State 12 p.m. Saturday. Both matches will be played at Memorial Gym.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker