This weekend, the University of Idaho Volleyball team went into week two of the season after a promising start at Mizzou last week as they competed in Colorado at the Denver Invitational, hosted by Denver University.
The three day tournament saw the Vandals face Marist University in their first ever matchup. Idaho also played the University of Denver for the first time since 2012, and finally Southern Illinois, whom the Vandals last played and lost to 3-0 in 2024.
MARIST
In the first match on Thursday, Idaho played against Marist University, and the Vandals started strong in the opening set, finishing 10 points ahead in a 25-15 lead. However, the great start for the Vandals was put to an end in the second set as Marist made a strong comeback, ending 25-17 in favor of the Red Foxes.
Now 1-1, the two teams continued to battle it out with the third set 25-19 for the Vandals, and 25-16 in the fourth for the Red Foxes. Going evenly 2-2 into the fifth set, the University of Idaho took it home 15-8 in the end, winning the game 3-2 for the win in their first ever confrontation with Marist University and the first win of the weekend.
The game saw outside hitter sophomore Kiana Greer lead the team offensively with 14 kills, middle blocker Anika Hudson close behind with a striking 11 kills. With a strong defensive game, the Vandals managed 14 blocks against the Foxes while Junior Libero Keira Kleidon managed a total of 20 digs throughout the 5 sets.
The matchup ended the first game of the weekend on a high note for the Vandals and gave them a much needed momentum boost headed into their matchup against Denver..
DENVER
On Friday, the Vandals played the University of Denver and quickly took the lead early in the first set 5-2. However, the rest of the set was neck and neck between the two teams with consistently close scores until the end, when Denver took the set 25-19.
In the second, the Vandals once again took an early lead 5-1, and made a strong comeback for a 25-19 set. The teams went 1-1 into the third set but eventually saw the Pioneers win 25-19.
Into the fourth the Vandals fell behind once again, ending 25-16, with a 3-1 loss to Denver University. The game ended with a total of 31 errors for the Vandals–compared to 19 for the Pioneers– not yielding promising results as their hitting average dropped to 0.093%. Despite the score, Idaho still managed to score 44 kills throughout the four sets.
Once again, the game saw Kiana Greer take charge of the offense, taking home 9 kills, followed closely by senior outside hitter, Sarah Sullivan’s 8. Senior middle blocker Koen Makaula managed 5 great blocks against Denver, and their sophomore setter, Csenge Krakoczki, aided the team with 19 assists.
SIUE
Out of the gate, both teams played well with a few good runs on each side before SIUE won the first set in a 25-20 lead. Idaho battled back throughout the rest of the game as sets two and three were back and forth, extremely close on either side.
Fortunately, both sets two and three eventually ended 25-23 in favor of the Vandals, before Idaho headed 2-1 into the fourth set. With multiple runs, Idaho pulled ahead and took the fourth set home, ending it with a 10 point lead of 25-15, wrapping up the final game of the three day tournament in Colorado, 3-1 against Southern Illinois University.
Throughout the close matchup, the Vandals played well; notably, setter Csenge Krakoczki managed 30 assists, junior Kyriah Trefren had 18 defensive digs, and junior outside hitter Allie Ferrin scored a total of 17 kills, followed by Kiana Greer with 13.
Despite the close game, the team managed a great offense and defense, coming out on top against Southern Illinois, whom they last lost to in 2024.
The Vandals leave Colorado with more than just a 4-2 record, they leave with momentum. After battling through five sets against Marist, facing a tough loss to Denver, and responding with a decisive win over Southern Illinois, Idaho showed the resilience and determination that will define its season.
With strong performances on both sides of the net and contributions coming from across the roster, the Vandals proved they can weather the highs and lows of a long season. As they head into week three, one thing is clear: this team isn’t finished making noise. The season is young, and the Vandals are just getting started.
The Vandals Volleyball team will hit the road down to Riverside California to compete in the CBU Challenge Tournament on Thursday, September 10-12.