This past weekend (Sept 10-12) the University of Idaho women’s volleyball team headed down to Riverside, CA to play in the CBU Joust. Sacred Heart University, North Dakota University, and California Baptist.
Overall, the Vandals put together a strong performance of competitive play. Idaho showed great energy, resilience, and teamwork as the team went 2-1 in the CBU Challenge Tournament.
Sacred Heart
Going into the tournament weekend, Idaho’s first opponent, Sacred Heart University, held a 3-3 record at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, the Vandals kicked off their weekend with a tough loss.
Throughout the gritty and high intensity game, the Vandals and Pioneers kept scores close throughout the first set, until it ended in a Vandal loss. Coming into the second set, the Vandals battled back with a new sense of determination and started on an eight-one run early on, led by their strong offensive players, Sophomore Kiana Greer and Senior Koen Makaula. The Vandals successfully took the second set 25-22 and went into the third with excitement on the court.
Unfortunately, Idaho’s mistakes gave away the third set, yet the fourth saw another upturn in Vandals’ energy. Another high stakes, close set eventually ended in a Vandal win, keeping them in the game and tying up the match going into a fifth set.
The fifth set was evenly tied all the way up to 16-16, until a two point lead by the Pioneers ended in a close but hard loss for Idaho.
Despite the tough loss, Idaho played a great, energy filled game against Sacred Heart, fueled by amazing performances, notably from Greer, managing 15 kills and two blocks by the end of the game.
Similarly, Makaula tallied up 12 kills, two aces, and six blocks, followed closely by Junior Sophie Danielson, who scored another six blocks and 11 kills behind Makaula. First game of the weekend down, the Vandals headed into Saturday ready to face North Dakota.
North Dakota
Day two of the tournament saw the Vandals start strong in the opening set with an early lead 13-8 before a nice run by North Dakota closed the gap to 15-13.
Despite North Dakota keeping up with the Vandals throughout the first set, bolstered by a solid defense, Idaho’s momentum and a few great plays closed it out 15-20 for the Vandals with a great start to day two.
In the second set, a sense of determination led the Hawks to an early lead with a six point run. However, UND couldn’t keep the momentum from the beginning of the set, ending in another Vandal win, now 2-0 going into the third.
The third set was exceedingly close, the Vandals playing for a win and the Hawks fighting to stay in the game. A success for the Hawks, UND managed to take home the third set narrowly 25-23, forcing Idaho into a fourth set.
In the fourth, UND started ahead in a similar fashion to the second, but again lost momentum halfway through. A late run by the Vandals secured the finish in a tight 25-23 set, ending the game 3-1 against the University of North Dakota.
Offensively, the game saw Junior Allie Ferrin lead with 13 kills and 3 great defensive blocks. Similar to her performance the day before, Danielson scored another 11 kills, the same as Senior Sarah Sullivan, who also added another 5 blocks to the defensive score, ending day two of the tournament with a win for the Vandals.
California Baptist
On day three, the final day of the tournament, the Vandals faced tournament host California Baptist in another thrilling five-set battle. Idaho stumbled out of the gate, dropping the opening set 25-20, but quickly found its rhythm. The Vandals answered back with a 25-22 victory in the second set, powered by 15 kills and a surge of momentum that carried into the remainder of the match.
Idaho continued to control the pace in the third set, maintaining its intensity and closing out a 25-21 win. California Baptist responded in the fourth, taking the set 25-20 and forcing a decisive fifth set.
With the match tied 2-2, the Vandals came out strong in the final set. Idaho established an early lead and never looked back, closing out the fifth set 15-9 to secure the victory. The win capped off a hard-fought weekend with an impressive finish, as the Vandals defeated the tournament host on its own home court.
Greer once again proved to be a force at the net, leading the Vandals with 19 kills, one ace and one block. Ferrin followed with 15 kills and four aces, providing another strong offensive presence for Idaho. Junior libero Kyriah-Trefren anchored the Vandals defensively with 15 digs, helping Idaho withstand California Baptist’s late push and finish the match strong.
The Vandals closed out the weekend with a 6-3 record, leaving the tournament with a statement victory and plenty to be proud of. After three days of battling through tough competition, Idaho finished on top when it mattered most, taking down the host in a five-set thriller and proving once again that the Vandals can rise to the moment when the pressure is highest.
The Vandals will head down to New Oreleans next week to compete in the New Orleans Invitational for their final tournament of the season. Once there, they will face 1-8 New Orleans first on Thursday, September 17, at 4:30 p.m. They will play 4-5 Florida A&M on Friday, September 18, at 1:30 p.m. Finally, they will face 4-5 Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, September 19, at 9 a.m.