The Bengal Sports Staff
The Idaho State volleyball team dropped two-out-of-three over the weekend in the opening tournament of the 2017 season. The Bengals fell to Virginia Tech, 3-2, and Milwaukee-Wisconsin, 3-2 on Friday but beat South Dakota State, 3-1 on Saturday.
Idaho State vs. Virginia Tech:
Idaho State fell in its opening match of the season against Virginia Tech Friday morning, 3-2. The Bengals hit .290 and recorded 10.0 blocks in the match but were unable to counter the Hokies precise hitting as they finished with 75 kills hitting at a .392 clip.
The Hokies were led by Kaity Smith with a match-high 30 kills hitting .451, while Ester Talamazzi added 14 kills and Stacey Christy finished with 11. Rhegan Mitchell added a match-high 65 assists.
Idaho State (1-2) was led by senior outside hitter Chloe Hirst with 19 kills to go along with a .347 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Abby Garrity also reached double-figure kills with 15, while senior setter Makayla Lundin finished with 49 assists.
“I thought we did some things really well,” said head coach Rick Reynolds. “We served tough, moved the ball around offensively and transitioned well to be available on offense. We need to do a better job of taking care of the little things like sealing the block, pushing the tempo offensively and expecting the ball more. We will take this knowledge and be prepared to grow more tonight.”
Idaho State started off strong in the first set, hitting .273 for 15 kills while limiting Virginia Tech (3-0) to hit just .242 for 13 kills. In her freshman debut, middle blocker Taylor Meeks recorded two block assists while hitting .333 for four kills off six attempts with two errors. Seniors Marissa Dance and Hirst also came up big for the Bengals in the first set with four kills each to help ISU cruise to the 25-21 first set win.
In the second set, Idaho State kept the pace with a 4-1 start to put the Hokies in a hole. The Bengals were unable to keep their lead, however, as Virginia Tech’s Kaity Smith rattled off four kills to go along with four ISU errors to tie the set at 10-all. Four-straight Hokie points put ISU behind 14-10 and the Bengals were unable to close the gap. Virginia Tech went on to take the set 25-20.
A hot-hitting Hokies squad took control in the third set, rattling off 21 kills at a .581 clip to best the Bengals 25-17. But Idaho State rebounded in the fourth set, hitting .394 for 15 kills. Both Garrity and Hirst finished with five kills apiece, with Garrity posting a .714 hitting percentage to lead the Bengals. Solid defense at the net also prevented the Hokies from finding a rhythm as ISU finished with three total blocks, led by Meeks with three block assists. The Bengals forced a fifth set with the 25-22 fourth-set victory.
In the fifth set, Hirst got things started for ISU with a big kill, but the Hokies would outscore ISU 8-3 over the next few plays to take an 8-4 lead. A 6-3 Bengals run, capped by a kill from Dance, brought ISU within 1, 11-10, but Idaho State was unable to regain the lead. Virginia Tech closed the match with four kills to put ISU away and take the fifth set, 15-11.
Idaho State vs. Milwaukee-Wisconsin:
In the second match of the day, Idaho State fell to tournament-host, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, 3-2.
Idaho State struggled to get into a rhythm in the first set while Milwaukee exploded to hit .526 for 11 kills off 19 attempts with just one error. Garrity battled for the Bengals, finishing the first set with five of ISU’s six kills while hitting .500, but ISU suffered four receiving errors to fuel UWM’s run. Milwaukee cruised to the 25-14 first set win and the 1-0 match lead.
Garrity led the Bengals with a match-high 19 kills to go along with 13 digs. Senior outside hitter Hirst also recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs.
The Bengals responded in the second set, racing out to an 11-4 lead to force a Milwaukee timeout. Idaho State picked up its hitting in the second, finishing with 16 kills at a .316 clip, and it was attacking from all sides as six different Bengals finished with at least one kill in the second set. ISU kept the Panthers at a distance and cruised to the 25-20 second set win.
In the third set, Milwaukee-Wisconsin (1-2) took the early lead and never trailed, holding off a late ISU run to take the set 25-21. In the fourth set, ISU had the early advantage but a run from UWM left the set tied nine-all. The Bengals put together a 7-3 run to take the 16-12 lead, and they would never trail. The Bengals forced a fifth set with the 25-20 fourth-set win.
In the fifth set, Idaho State struggled to force a sideout as the Panthers put together a 9-2 run to open the set. Two UWM errors and a kill from Garrity brought ISU to within four, 11-7, but Milwaukee rattled off four-straight points to close the set 15-7 and take the match, 3-2.
Milwaukee finished with three players in double-digit kills led by Jess Kalous, while four players finished with double-digit digs led by Mykie Olsen with a match-high 19.
“We played two really good opponents to start the season and you can see the girls battling,” Reynolds said. “This team is playing with energy and effort, and our rhythm is coming offensively as we try and get our middles more involved. I’m looking forward to seeing us pick up our defense [Saturday].”
Idaho State vs. South Dakota State:
Idaho State picked up its lone win of the weekend Saturday morning against South Dakota State, gathering its first win of the season in a 3-2 decision as the Bengals bested the Jackrabbits in nearly every single statistical category and shined in hitting.
ISU recorded 58 kills hitting .345 while limiting SDSU to 37 kills hitting .133.
Idaho State was led by Hirst with 14 kills and 11 digs for her second-straight double-double, while freshman Taylor Meeks came up huge at the net with 14 kills hitting .632 to go along with a match-high four block assists. Garrity added 11 kills while junior Ashlyn Van Every finished with a match-high 44 assists.
“I thought our middles played really well today,” Reynolds said. “We were able to create good pressure with our serve, and we were able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to terminate and finish points.”
The Bengals came out swinging in the first set, racing out to a 10-1 lead behind three kills apiece from Meeks and Hirst. Idaho State extended its lead to 10, 19-9, following a kill from Dance and South Dakota State (1-2) was unable to close the gap. ISU hit .478 and collected three service aces on its way to a 25-11 first set win.
Idaho State continued its offensive dominance in the second set, hitting at a .417 clip for 12 kills, with the Bengals defensive pressure at the net forcing the Jackrabbits to hit -.067. South Dakota State picked up a 2-0 lead to begin the set, but a 10-5 Bengal run put ISU in front 10-7. Idaho State never relinquished its lead and cruised to the 25-18 run.
The third set started with a 6-1 run from the Bengals, but the Jackrabbits quickly closed the game, forcing an eight-all tie with a service ace from SDSU’s Makenzie Hennen. A kill from Garrity put ISU back in front, but a 6-2 SDSU run gave the Jackrabbits a three-point lead, 14-11. Three SDSU errors and a kill from Van Every tied the set 15-all, but South Dakota State finished on a 10-6 run to claim the third set, 25-21.
Idaho State put South Dakota State away in the fourth set behind the hot hands of Hirst and Meeks. The two combined for 11 kills off 15 attempts with no errors, while the Bengals defense thwarted 17 of SDSU’s 35 attempts with 16 digs and one block. The Bengals held a comfortable 20-13 lead until an 8-1 run cut their lead to one, 21-20. But two kills by Hirst and two consecutive hitting errors by SDSU gave ISU the 25-20 fourth set win and the 3-1 match victory.
“This is a determined group and we are excited to get back into the gym and grow,” Reynolds said.
The Jackrabbits were led by Makenzie Hennen with 11 kills while Ellie Benson finished with 11 digs.
Idaho State is back in action Sept. 1 against Middle Tennessee in the first match of the Bruiser Showcase, hosted by Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
