Jenna Larson
Idaho State University Sports Information
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Idaho State volleyball team lost its 10th-straight match Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 loss at Sacramento State. The Bengals fell 25-18, 25-18 and 25-14 and fall to 0-2 in Big Sky Conference play.
“I thought the team responded well today,” Head Coach Rick Reynolds said. “We played at a really high level for moments throughout the match. Sacramento State is a really good team, and they performed consistently throughout the match. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are building on these moments of high performance.”
Idaho State (3-12, 0-2 BSC) was led by junior outside hitter Abby Garrity with a team-high 13 kills hitting .244 to go along with seven digs and on solo block. Senior outside hitter Chloe Hirst added a match-high 20 digs with nine kills hitting .320, while both Ashlyn Van Every and Makayla Lundin added 13 assists each.
Sacramento State (11-7, 2-0 BSC) began the match with a 5-0 run to put the Bengals in a hole, but ISU battled back to within two, 8-6, with kills from Hirst, Garrity and freshman Taylor Meeks. Yet the Bengals were unable to close the gap. A 12-6 run gave the Hornets the 20-12 advantage, and Sac State outlasted the Bengals to take the first set 25-18.
In the second set, Sacramento State once more started with a run, this time of three unanswered points. But ISU outscored the Hornets 7-1 behind four kills from Garrity to lead 7-4 and force a Sac State timeout. Coming out of the break, Idaho State suffered two-straight attacking errors to cut its lead to one, 7-6, and five plays later the Hornets closed the gap to tie the score 9-all.
Sacramento State started to distance itself over the next few plays, attacking the Bengals and capitalizing on ISU hitting errors. Midway through the set, Idaho State found itself with a six-point deficit, 19-12, and it could not slow the Hornets down. Sacramento State continued on for the 25-18 second set win.
In the final set, Idaho State suffered two attacking errors while the Hornets recorded two kills to give the Hornets a 4-0 lead. The Bengals battled back to tie the set at 8-all and 9-all before taking their first lead of the set at 10-9. The teams continued to battle, with four more ties coming in the set. Sac State ended a 14-all tie with a kill from Kennedy Kurtz and the Hornets rattled off 11 unanswered points including five service aces to take the third set 25-14 and win the match 3-0.
Idaho State returns home for a four-match homestand beginning with Northern Arizona on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in Reed Gym.
