The Bengal Sports Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Idaho State volleyball team won two of its three matches over the weekend in the Bruiser Showcase hosted by Middle Tennessee in Nashville.
Idaho State (3-3) picked up two wins on Friday, beating Middle Tennessee, 3-0 and Belmont, 3-2, but fell on Saturday to Texas-Arlington, 3-0, on Saturday.
Idaho State 3, Middle Tennessee 0
Idaho State finished the match with seven aces, three of which came from sophomore libero Haylie Keck, as the Bengals made quick work of Middle Tennessee in its first of three matches, as the Bengals swept Middle Tennessee (0-7) with scores of 25-17, 25-9 and 25-20.
Idaho State finished with 34 kills, with a match-high 12 coming from junior outside hitter Abby Garrity, while hitting .455 as a squad. The Bengals forced Middle Tennessee to hit .099 for 29 total kills and seven receiving errors.
“We served tough and we were able to create offensive opportunities,” said head coach Rick Reynolds. “It was a really efficient match for us offensively, and defensively we were able to get more touches at the net and pick up digs at a higher rate.”
In the first set, two straight kills from senior outside hitter Chloe Hirst put ISU out in front 2-0, but a kill from Middle Tennessee and a Bengal error tied things up two-all. The Bengals then put together a massive run, outscoring the Blue Raiders 17-8 to gain a 19-10 advantage and cruised to a 25-17 win.
In the second set, it was all Idaho State. The Bengals logged 10 kills off 18 attempts with no errors to hit .556 and forced the Blue Raiders to hit -.138. Four Idaho State service aces and 12 digs stalled Middle Tennessee’s offense as the Bengals slammed Middle Tennessee 25-9 to take a 2-0 match advantage.
The Bengals closed the match hitting .407 for 13 kills in the third set, but the Blue Raiders responded hitting .387 for 13 kills in the final match. The set was tied 17-all following a kills from Middle Tennessee, but the Bengals put together an 8-3 run to claim the 25-20 set win and 3-0 match win.
The Blue Raiders were led by Josie Maxim with eight kills while Brienna Tankesley added 12 digs.
Idaho State 3, Belmont 2
The Bengals battled Belmont point-for-point in the second match of the day, taking Belmont to five sets and posting a season-high 67 digs.
Idaho State was led by Hirst with a team-high 17 kill and a team-high 15 digs for her third-straight double-double. Both senior Marissa Dance and freshman Taylor Meeks hit over .400 for ISU, as Dance recorded eight kills of 18 attempts with no errors to hit .444 while Meeks connected for nine kills off 17 attempts with just one error to hit .471.
“It was a great effort tonight against a really strong program,” said Reynolds. “Belmont played at a really high level and made us earn every point.”
In the first set, Belmont (5-2) raced out to a 9-2 advantage, but a 9-2 Bengal run that was fueled by four straight Belmont attacking errors tied the set at 11-all. Idaho State then scored four unanswered with a kill from Hirst, a kill from junior Ashlyn Van Every and a service ace from Van Every.
The Bengals’ lead was short-lived however, as the Bruins battled back to tie the match at 16-all. Both squads traded point-for-point and were deadlocked at 24-all, when a kill from Garrity and a Bruin attacking error gave the Bengals the 26-24 first set win.
The second set, much like the first, was a point-for-point battle the entire way with six lead changes and nine ties. With the set tied 18-all, Idaho State went on a 4-0 run, but the Bruins countered, outscoring ISU 7-1 to close the set and claim the 25-23 second set win.
Belmont took the third set 25-20, and in the fourth set it was another point-for-point battle. The fourth set featured six lead changes and 14 ties, but the set ended in favor of the Bengals.
Idaho State presented a balanced scoring offense with six players recording at least one kill, and four recording at least three. Garrity led the offensive push with four kills, while Van Every posted a .750 hitting percentage. The Bengals took the fourth set 26-24 to force a fifth set.
In the fifth set, Belmont took the early lead 6-3, but Idaho State countered and outscored the Bruins 12-4 to claim the fifth set 15-10 and win the match, 3-2.
“We are continuing to take steps forward in the process of developing continuity and rhythm,” Reynolds said.
Belmont was led by Arianna Person with a match-high 21 kills, while Emily Richards posted a match-high 29 kills.
Texas-Arlington 3, Idaho State 0
Idaho State was swept by Texas-Arlington in the third matches of the weekend, falling 25-16, 25-23 and 25-20.
UT-Arlington was led by Zhanelle Geathers with a match-high 16 kills, while Kailyn Gilbreath added a match-high 34 assists.
“Congrats to UTA on playing a great match today,” Reynolds said. “We got what we earned today. It is important we continue to take steps forward in the process of growing. We are excited to see how we respond on Monday against a really good Utah Valley team.”
Idaho State was led by Hirst with 10 kills and eight digs while Keck led ISU with 13 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Brooke Pehrson finished with nine kills off 15 attempts hitting .400 to go along with a match-high three service aces.
It was slow for Idaho State, as UT-Arlington (5-1) raced out to a 10-4 lead in the first set. The Bengals struggled to get into a flow offensively, hitting under .200, while the Mavericks connected for 16 kills hitting .464. Eleven of ISU’s 26 attempts were dug by UTA, but the Bengals were able to finish 10 attempts in the first set.
Idaho State briefly cut the UTA’s lead to four, 12-8, but that is the closest ISU would come in the first. The Mavericks cruised to the 25-16 first set win.
The Bengals responded early in the second set, setting the pace with a quick 11-4 advantage behind two service aces from Pehrson and multiple kills from Hirst, Garrity and Meeks. Idaho State held a six-point lead late in the set, 21-15, but five Bengal errors tied the set at 22-all. UTA finished with a 3-1 run to claim the set 25-23.
Idaho State started the third set with a kill from Garrity, but that is the only lead Idaho State would hold in the final set.
The Bengals finished with nine kills and 12 digs, but UTA countered with 16 kills and 19 digs, thwarting ISU’s final attempts to claim the set. A late kill from Garrity brought ISU within two, 22-20, but two UTA kills and an ISU error gave the Mavericks the 25-20 third set win and the match win, 3-0.
Both Hirst and Garrity were named to the Bruiser Showcase All-Tournament Team.
Idaho State returns to Pocatello for its home opener Monday, Sept. 4 against Utah Valley at 6 p.m. in Reed Gym.
