The Vandals lost their final home game of the season today against Northern Arizona 25-14, 25-21 and 25-10.
The Lumberjacks travelled from Flagstaff, Ariz. to find a perfect outcome, their first Big Sky road win of the season. This win was a sweep in Memorial Gym for the Vandals’ senior day.
The Vandals’ lone graduating player, Renata Lopez Morales, was celebrated before the game. She is a transfer from Easter Washington and has a lot of Big Sky experience. Gonzalez said Lopez Morales has played more Big Sky games than the rest of the Idaho team combined. Lopez Morales will play her final game as a Vandal on Friday, Nov. 17 at her former school, Eastern Washington.
With this loss, the Vandals moved to 1-26 on the season and 0-15 in conference. The Lumberjacks improved to 6-19 overall and 3-11 in conference.
Even though both teams have losing records, the Vandals couldn’t seem to keep the match within reach. The Lumberjacks nearly served Idaho off the court, outdoing them nine aces to one.
The Vandals struggled converting at the net, leaving the game with only 30 kills at .094 hitting percentage. The Lumberjacks ended the match with 40 kills at .316 hitting percentage, one of the highest of the Lumberjacks’ season. Their other hitting high came when they played Idaho in Flagstaff earlier in the season.
Redshirt freshman outside hitter for the Lumberjacks, Hannah Stoddard, who hails from Coeur d’Alene, dominated the net with a match high 15 kills at .577 hitting percentage. Every other time Stoddard went for a swing, it was a kill.
The Vandals competed in the second set, but couldn’t bring any of that momentum into the third and final set. Their serves rarely found aces. Their passes were rarely perfect. Their sets had trouble finding hitters, and hitters couldn’t seem to find the floor.
The young Idaho team has work to find rhythm, communication and consistency. Idaho will finish the season last in the Big Sky Conference.
The Vandals’ home game bout is over, but they have a final game against Eastern Washington on Friday Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.
Joanna Hayes can be reached at [email protected]