Denim Millward
Sports Editor
Facing the daunting task of toppling the top two seeds in the Big Sky Conference tournament, the members of the Idaho State women’s volleyball team didn’t just take on the challenge; they bumped, set and spiked it into submission.
The Bengals steamrolled their conference tournament foes, dropping only two sets total in the three contests they played against Northern Colorado, North Dakota and top-seeded Portland State.
Making the feat even more impressive is the fact that the Bengals were a combined 0-4 against Portland State and North Dakota during the season.
After downing a very game Northern Colorado squad, the volleyball team, led by senior Lori Mendenhall-Lee and sophomore Makenzie Filer, exorcised their demons and finally downed the Big Sky Conference regular season co-champion North Dakota team 2-1, including a 25-12 shellacking of North Dakota in the fourth set to clinch a spot in the conference championship against top-seeded Portland State.
To beat the top seed in the tournament would be difficult. To defeat them on their home floor in front of their home crowd would be very difficult. To topple them a mere week after losing a two-set lead and eventually the match to Portland State in the cozy confines of Reed Gym would require a herculean effort.
To say Filer, Mendenhall-Lee and the rest of the ISU volleyball team were up to the task would be a grievous understatement.
The Bengals dominated the first set, winning 25-18.
After squeaking out the second set 29-27, the team found itself in an eerily similar situation as they were in a week prior against Portland State.
Luckily for the Bengals, just as the venue was the opposite of the previous week, so was the result.
The Bengals took a lead midway through the third and what turned out to be final set and never looked back, cruising to a 25-20 victory.
Junior Alydia Fields-Grimm led the Bengals with 13 kills and 14 points. With the victory, the Bengals clinched the first Big Sky Conference Championship in 23 years, before most of the current ISU volleyball players were born.
The dominant performance by the Bengal volleyball team certainly did not go unnoticed by Big Sky Conference tournament officials.
The Bengals earned a heaping helping of hardware at the conclusion of the tournament. In addition to being Big Sky Conference champions, Mendenhall-Lee and redshirt junior Kylee Sessions were named to the All-Tournament team, while Filer earned Most Valuable Player honors for her stellar play.
The high accolades only seem fitting for such an unexpectedly dominant performance by the Idaho State squad.
In addition to the awards and the sweet taste of victory, the Bengals also learned last Sunday night their prize package would include a “vacation” to the Aloha State.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Idaho State will be paired up with 11th-ranked Hawaii Friday night in Hawaii.
While the squad would be doing backflips in virtually any other circumstance that involved a free getaway to a tropical paradise, drawing Hawaii in the tournament presents coach Chad Teichert’s group with a whole slew of unique and unexpected issues to deal with.
First, the travel to the venue will be somewhere around a six-hour flight. In addition, the necessity of flight to reach Hawaii may be cost-prohibitive to many ISU fans who would’ve been easily able to attend were the Bengals matched up with a more regional opponent such as Brigham Young.
Second, the time difference will be huge. The ISU-Hawaii matchup is not scheduled to begin until 10:30 p.m. Mountain Time, over three hours later than the normal starting time for ISU home matchups.
If that wasn’t enough, the team the Bengals will be traveling thousands of miles and rearranging their entire schedule to play is the 11th-best women’s volleyball squad in the NCAA.
The team, affectionately referred to as the “’Bows” by University of Hawaii faithful, is led by senior outside hitter and Big West Player of the Year, and also boasts Big West First-Teamers Mita Uliato, Ali Longo and Nikki Taylor.
To topple the Hawaii juggernaut, the Bengals will have to take the dominant streak they’re currently on to a whole new level. Can the ISU squad adjust to the difficulties its opponent currently presents, play flawlessly and defy the odds once again?
We’ll find out this Friday, Dec. 5, at 10:30 p.m.
