The University of Idaho volleyball team hosted the first Big Sky Conference game of the season against Idaho State University on Thursday, Sept. 24, with their annual “Blackout the Bengals” game theme.
With anticipation in the crowd for the first home game, friends, family, and multiple local sports teams came out to show their love and support for the Vandal volleyball players, including Idaho’s basketball, swim and dive, soccer, and track athletes.
Further, the game hosted the Vandal Pep Band and cheerleaders, to hype up the crowd. The first volleyball home game also served as a Teddy Bear Toss for charity, an event that serves and supports Lewiston’s CASA program.
Coming off of an exceedingly strong weekend, going 3-0 at the New Orleans Invitational, the Vandals went into the game against the in-state rivals with a tied record, both teams at 9-3, but couldn’t close out a win by the end, being swept by the Bengals in three sets.
By the end of the game, the Vandals posted 22 errors, while their total offensive hitting percentage was the lowest it’s been in the last seven games at 0.137%, as they failed to fall into an offensive rhythm while struggling against the Bengals’ tough defense.
Out of the gate, the Vandals tied up in the very beginning of the first set, the score going back and forth until a four-point run by the Bengals early on set the game at 10-7, where the Vandals were unable to reclaim the lead throughout the rest of the set.
Despite the loss, the Vandals played aggressively, hitting and scoring a few amazing kills before the set ended 25-19 in favor of Idaho State.
Set two saw another great opening from both teams before the Vandals pulled ahead by 3, followed by a four-point run that set the score at 10-4 coming alive after strong kills by graduate student Alaina Armstrong, senior Sarah Sullivan, and sophomore Kiana Greer, showing their resilience after losing in the first and making a comeback into the second.
The Vandals led for most of the set, finally finding their offensive rhythm, until the score eventually reached 18-18 going into a time-out. The Vandals took the first point back into the game on a kill by Alaina Armstrong, but quickly flipped to 20-19 in favor of Idaho State.
Despite the loss, scores were close, posting 25-23 at the end of the set. Coming into set three, the Vandals could not seem to get their footing offensively or defensively as the Bengals took the lead from the beginning and UI couldn’t keep up. The Bengals hit a five-point run on two kills and three errors by the black and gold, and by the middle of set three, the Bengals had doubled the Vandals’ score at 18-9 and ended 12 points ahead at 25-13, marking the lowest set score by the Vandals this season.
Despite the loss, however, the Vandals had a few great plays assisted by freshman setter Zola Zuccolo, posting 12 kills from Kiana Greer, six by Sophie Danielson, and five by both Alaina Armstrong and senior Makaula Koen.
With a record of 9-4, the Vandal volleyball team moves into its next conference game Saturday, Sept. 26, against the Weber State University Wildcats (7-4), hosted at home in the Memorial Gym