SVEN ALSKOG
Staff Writer
A five-game winning streak over the last few weeks of the regular season helped to clinch a berth in the Big Sky conference tournament to be held on November 29 and 30 in Portland, Ore., for the Idaho State University volleyball team.
With only two games remaining, both inside Reed Gym, the Bengals have a chance to earn the seeding they want for the conference tournament.
A rematch against Portland State is looming as one of those last two home battles, a game in which the Bengals lost earlier in the season. That matchup will give ISU a chance at redemption. The Vikings will head into Reed Gym for that one on November 23 in Pocatello.
Eastern Washington will come into Reed Gym on November 21 at 6-12 in the Big Sky. Prior to the rematch with the Vikings, it will be important for the Bengals to not overlook Eastern Washington. The Bengals topped the Eagles earlier this season in Cheney over four sets.
If the Bengals are able to continue their winning streak to conclude the regular season, the team will most likely still earn the three seed for the tournament however, as Portland State should be able to handle a 7-25 Weber State squad and clinch at least the number two seed. North Dakota also plays against Big Sky bottom-dweller Southern Utah at home, a game they should win as well. That would eliminate the need to venture into the complicated tiebreaker scenarios should ISU, PSU and UND tie for the top spot in the regular season standings.
On the court, the Bengals have again been led by the reigning Big Sky Most Valuable Player in Lori Mendenhall-Lee.
This season a younger core of players has been able to step up and contribute alongside of Mendenhall-Lee, with sophomore Kenzie Filer dominating the front line and fellow sophomore Tressa Lyman leading ISU in kills with 388 on the season.
The difference between a conference championship and an early exit in the tournament this season for the Bengals will be the play of the first-year players on the squad over the next couple of weeks.
That group is led by freshman Marissa Todd and sophomore Hayley Farrer. Good things tend to happen when Farrer is serving for ISU and that needs to continue in the conference tournament. For Todd, when she has played well, the Bengals have seemed to come away with victories. Those two and sparkplug Bailey Bars will be relied upon to bring energy to the squad.
North Dakota, Portland State, Northern Arizona, the University of Montana and ISU have all clinched spots in the conference tournament, with Sacramento State and Northern Colorado duking it out for the final spot. Both North Dakota and Portland State are on top of the conference at 15-3 as of publication, while the Bengals and Northern Arizona are tied for third at 13-5 in the Big Sky.
The lowest possible seed for ISU is fourth in the tournament.
Unfortunately for all schools outside of Portland State, the tournament will be held inside the Stott Center on the campus of PSU, a place where the Vikings are 13-3 this season, including a 10-0 mark in the Big Sky. The only losses coming in the friendly confines of the Stott Center for the team have been to Washington, Oklahoma and BYU.
The Bengals will be looking to get an elusive tournament title after falling in the championship match last year to Northern Colorado in five sets on the Bears home floor.
A strong performance over the next couple of weeks would be a big boost to what is a relatively young team that head coach Chad Teichert has. Only Mendenhall-Lee is a senior. The Bengals have six juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen in regards to NCAA eligibility purposes, setting ISU volleyball up well to continue its recent run of success.
