Jenna Larson
Idaho State University Sports Information
CHENEY, Wash. – The Idaho State volleyball team won its fourth-straight match with a 3-1 win at Eastern Washington. The Bengals bested the Eagles 25-14, 25-23, 22-25 and 25-21 to earn the win.
Junior Abby Garrity led the Bengals with a team-high 14 kills to go along with 14 digs while senior Marissa Dance also finished in double-figure kills with 10. Junior Ashlyn Van Every added a double-double with a match-high 38 assists and 15 digs while sophomore Haylie Keck finished with 29 digs, also a match high.
“I am proud of this team and the way they battled tonight to get a good win on the road,” Reynolds said. “This was overall a great team effort. I could go on and on about how I felt each player contributed to the final outcome.”
Idaho State (7-13, 4-3 BSC) served up a season-high 11 aces on the night and was solid at the net with five solo blocks and eight block assists. Sophomore Brooke Pehrson led the defensive effort at the net with three solo blocks and three block assists. The Bengals opened the first set with a kill from freshman Taylor Meeks, but two consecutive ISU errors put the Eagles on top, 2-1. With the set tied 6-all, Idaho State put together a 3-0 run to gain the 9-6 advantage, and the Bengals never relinquished their lead. Idaho State outscored Eastern Washington (6-10, 3-4 BSC) 16-8 over the final plays of the set to earn the 25-14 first set win.
In the second set, ISU overcame eight hitting errors and two service errors to outlast EWU for the 25-23 win and earn the 2-0 match lead. The Bengals hitting struggles continued in the third set as ISU recorded eight hitting errors on 39 attempts for 11 kills to hit .077 for the set, yet ISU was able to keep the Eagles within striking distance for the entire set. Late in the set, Dance connected for two kills followed by a service ace from Pehrson to cut EWU’s lead to two, 21-19, but the Eagles finished on a 4-3 run to claim the 25-22 third set win and force a fourth set.
The Bengals shook off their hitting woes from the second and third sets to connect for 16 kills in the fourth set hitting .310. Though ISU was consistent hitting in the fourth, the Bengals could not distance themselves from the Eagles as the set featured eight ties and four lead changes. With the set tied 21-all, ISU rattled off four-straight points starting with a kill from Meeks and ending with a service ace from junior Alexis Patten, one of her career-high four service aces on the evening. The Bengals earned the 25-21 fourth set victory and the 3-1 match win.
Eastern Washington was led by Ashley Seiler with a match-high 18 kills while Jayde Robertsen added 10. Regan Harr finished with a double-double with 29 assists and 18 digs, while Megan LaFond added a team-high 22 digs.
Idaho State returns home to Pocatello, Idaho to host Weber State Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. in Reed Gym.
