Memorial Gymnasium was on its feet with the Idaho Vandals volleyball team one point away from defeating Portland State. The action went back and forth before it recycled to redshirt junior outside hitter Cayton White, who found freshman outside hitter Kiana Greer. Greer tipped it off the Vikings to get the point and the 3-0 win for the Vandals, their first sweep at Memorial Gymnasium since Oct. 28, 2021, against Southern Utah.
“We’ve been working hard. We still haven’t given up this season yet,” assistant coach Ben Kasun said. “That shows how much this team is together right now. They’re together, they’re still fighting and they’re a cohesive group. I’m proud of them for that.”
The Vandals have struggled this season but have battled in every game and played until the final point hits the floor a welcoming sign of head coach Romona Kriskova’s culture.
“I’m proud of the growth that we’ve had this year. I know it’s been a really rough year, but we came into this season knowing that it was going to be a rebuilding year, and I think we took that as a challenge,” White said. “Although it was rough in moments, I think we did a good job of pushing through and finishing no matter what.”
In their last matchup, the Vandals dropped a five-set thriller earlier this season and wanted to come out more aggressive in their approach and jump on the Vikings early.
Both teams went back and forth to begin the match until the Vandals seized control at 17-14. Idaho used their killer instinct with a 6-0 run to push the lead to 23-14.
With the Vandals at set point, freshman setter Csenge Krakoczki set a perfectly placed ball to junior middle blocker Zuzanna Whitman, who emphatically spiked it past the Vikings’ defenders for a 25-16 first-set victory.
The Vikings struck back in the second set, jumping out to a 12-5 lead. But Idaho rallied with a 5-0 run sparked by a White ace, cutting the deficit to 12-10. The Vandals eventually seized control with a 4-0 run to go up 20-15. The Vikings cut it to three, but Greer’s kill sealed the 25-19 second-set victory.
Idaho this season has been in a lot of close battles but has not been able to finish. Now, they were one set away from completing the sweep, and they were not going to be denied.
The Vandals maintained control of the set and, behind their outstanding teamwork, never let the Vikings get any momentum. The Vikings, trying to avoid the sweep, fought back and cut the score to 19-18. However, a 5-0 run capped off by a brilliant ace from White set up the Vandals with a 24-18 lead.
The Vikings countered with a 4-0 run themselves to cut the score to 24-22, causing the Vandals to work extra hard for the winning point. The team held their resolve, and their dynamic duo of White and Greer delivered when they needed it the most to get the victory.
“Tonight, we played as a team. There have been a lot of moments where we kind of play, like, individually, but this game we played as a team,” White said. “That is what allowed us to push us over the edge.”
White and Greer get the headlines with a combined 29 kills. White leading the Vandals with 15 and Greer just behind her with 14 but Krakoczki flew under the radar with 31 assists and putting her teammates in positions to be successful all night.
With the win, the Vandals move to 6-21 (3-12) and get a much-needed confidence booster when they host the Sacramento State Hornets for senior night.
“It gives us a lot of confidence because we see what we’re capable of doing,” White said. “The confidence that we have when we play and push everything forward for Friday, and we’ll play our best.”
The Vandals will honor their lone senior, outside hitter Madu Fontes, when they hit the floor Friday.
Idaho and Sacramento State’s first serve will be Friday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m., where the Vandals look to end the season on a high note and dedicate their last game in Memorial Gymnasium to the players who have worked hard all season, including Fontes.
“We want to come into this with gratitude,” Kasun said. “This has been a long season. You know, we’ve been putting in a lot of work, and it’s also here to celebrate Madu Fontes. So, we want to be grateful, and we want to play our hearts out for her, so it’s a great last experience for her. I want to see our aggressiveness, confidence and swagger we had carry over into Friday’s game.”