The Bengal Sports Staff
The Idaho State volleyball team failed to pick up a set win against stout competition over the weekend in the Boise State Classic, playing three teams that have a combined record of 28-7.
Idaho State (3-10) fell to Oregon State (10-2) Friday night in straight sets before going toe-to-toe with the nation’s top ranked team, Minnesota (11-0), on Saturday morning, falling 3-0. Idaho State concluded its tournament season by dropping another 3-0 decision on Saturday night to tournament-host, Boise State (7-5).
The Bengals have now lost eight in a row, but six of their last nine opponents are above .500 and three of those teams are ranked in the top-25. Idaho State opens conference play this Thursday against Portland State.
Oregon State 3, Idaho State 0
The Idaho State volleyball team fell in three sets to Oregon State 25-11, 25-23 and 25-19 in its first match of the tournament.
The Beavers finished with three players with double-figure kills, led by both Maddie Goings and Mary-Kate Marshall with 13 each, while Haylie Bennett added 11. Kylee McLaughlin finished with a match-high 40 assists, while Kayla Ellis added a match-high 11 digs.
Idaho State was led by senior outside hitter Chloe Hirst with 10 kills and five digs while freshman setter Chelsea Johnson finished with 29 assists. Sophomore libero Haylie Keck, who was named to the All-Tournament Team for averaging 4.7 digs per game, tailed 10 digs against Oregon State for her 11th-straight double-figure digs match of the season.
Oregon State made quick work of Idaho State in the first set, racing out to a 20-6 lead before closing the set with a 25-11 win.
Idaho State came back with a vengeance in the second set, forcing 10 ties and five lead changes. Junior outside hitter Abby Garrity put Idaho State on top with a big kill to open the second set, but Oregon State’s Haylie Bennett evened things up with a kill of her own.
With the second set tied four-all, Oregon State went on a 6-2 run to take a 10-6 lead, but a 4-0 run by the Bengals, fueled by kills from freshmen Taylor Meeks and Johnson tied the match at 10-all. Eight plays later the match was once more tied, this time at 14-all, but a kill from Garrity and two consecutive kills from Hirst put ISU up 17-14.
Later in the set, the Bengals had extended their lead to four points, 21-17, but a 4-0 Oregon State run tied the set once more, this time at 21-all. A Beaver service error and a kill from Garrity gave ISU a 23-21 lead with the set win in sight, but Oregon State rallied to score four-straight and take the second set 25-23.
In the third set, Idaho State hit .209 for 14 kills off 43 attempts, but the Beavers were tough to stop as three players hit over .400 for 19 total kills off 44 attempts with just two errors.
The Bengals started the set with the lead as Garrity terminated for the 1-0 lead. However, that would be the only lead the Bengals would claim in the third set despite tying the set six times. With the set tied for the sixth and final time at 19-all, OSU finished with six unanswered points to take the third set 25-19.
Minnesota 3, Idaho State 0
Idaho State fell in three sets to No. 1 Minnesota on Saturday morning in its second match of the Boise State Classic.
Minnesota was led by Stephanie Sameday who finished with a match-high 14 kills hitting .400 to go along with seven digs and one block assist. Dalianliz Rosado added 16 digs while Regan Pittman finished with one solo block and three block assists.
Idaho State was led by Hirst with 11 kills while Keck finished with a match-high 17 digs. Junior setter Ashlyn Van Every posted a solid line with two kills off five attempts to hit .400 with seven assists, one dig and two block assists.
“I am proud of our effort this morning,” said head coach Rick Reynolds. “We were able to create some opportunities for ourselves in all phases of the game. Minnesota is a great team and program, and they do not give you much room for error. This was a great learning opportunity, and we are excited to continue to make progress toward our goals.”
In the first set, Garrity got things started for the Bengals with a kill to give Idaho State a 1-0 lead, but a 4-0 Gopher run put Minnesota in front 4-1. The Bengals clawed their way back, capitalizing on multiple Minnesota errors to tie the set seven-all. The Gophers answered with an 8-3 run to lead 15-10 midway through the set, but two consecutive Idaho State kills, one from Hirst and another from senior Marissa Dance, brought ISU back within two, 15-13.
Minnesota responded with another big run, this time a 10-2 run, to close the first set 25-15.
The second set was another set of big runs beginning with a 5-1 Minnesota run to start the set. Idaho State responded with a 5-3 run of its own, ending with a kill from Hirst, to cut the Gophers’ lead to two, 8-6. However, multiple Idaho State errors in addition to two Minnesota kills put the Gophers ahead 13-6 and forced Idaho State to call a timeout.
Out of the break, Garrity registered a kill for the Bengals, but two-straight Minnesota kills extended the Gophers’ lead to nine, 16-7. Idaho State would not be able to close the gap as Minnesota took the second set 25-14.
Hirst and Garrity led the charge for the Bengals in the third set as the two combined for Idaho State’s seven third-set kills. Minnesota connected for 15 kills off 32 attempts with just one error to hit .438 to evade Idaho State’s defensive effort.
The Bengals never led in the third and final set as Minnesota prevailed 25-11 for the set win and the 3-0 match victory.
Boise State 3, Idaho State 0
In the final match of the Boise State Classic, Idaho State fell to tournament-host Boise State 3-0 in sets of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-20.
Boise State was led by Sierra Nobley with a match-high 15 kills while Janell Walley finished with 11 kills hitting .529. Maddi Osburn finished with a match-high 19 digs while Jaymee-Lee Bulda added a match-high 32 assists.
Idaho State was led by Hirst with 10 kills off 33 attempts with three errors to hit .212. Van Every finished with a team-high 15 assists while Keck and Garrity each finished with double-figure digs, with 11 and 10 respectively.
“It was another tough battle with a really good team,” Reynolds said. “It’s time to take what we’ve learned and put it into conference play. We’ve grown in a lot of areas the last four weeks. We are excited to move forward in our pursuit of a Big Sky Championship.”
The Bengals struck first in the opening set as Garrity terminated for the early 1-0 lead. But Boise State quickly responded with a 4-0 run to take a 4-1 lead. Two kills from Garrity and a Boise State error tied the set four-all, and this back-and-forth play illustrated the entirety of the first set. The first set featured 10 ties and three lead changes, and late in the first set with the score tied 23-all, Boise State recorded two-straight points to take the first set 25-23.
In the second set, Idaho State took the early 2-0 lead after two-straight Bronco errors. Boise State responded for the 6-3 lead shortly thereafter, but a 5-2 Bengal run tied the second set eight-all. Idaho State forced the Broncos to hit just .079 in the second set, but the Bengals also struggled to terminate, hitting just .061.
With the set tied 16 apiece, Idaho State scored three-straight to take a 19-16 lead, but the Broncos responded with a kill and two service aces to tie the set once more at 19-all. Boise State outscored Idaho State 6-2 over the final plays to take the set 25-21.
The third set continued the back-and-forth play, with 11 ties and two lead changes. Boise State broke a 16-all tie with two kills, but a kill from Dance brought Boise State within striking distance, 18-17. But two Idaho State errors and a Bronco kill put Boise State up 21-17 late in the set.
The Broncos outscored Idaho State 4-3 to take the final set 25-20 and earn the 3-0 match win.
Idaho State opens conference play on the road at Portland State on Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. MST. Thursday’s game will take place at Concordia University in Portland, Ore.
