Stayin' Alive! Bengals Comeback, Advance to Championship

By Matt Gittins, ISU Sports Information

PHOTO GALLERY

POCATELLO, Idaho – Down two sets to one and staring the end of their season in the face the Idaho State volleyball team responded to edge Northern Arizona 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 25-27, 28-26 and 15-10) Friday night in the semi-finals of the Idaho Central Credit Union Big Sky Tournament.

"I am happy for the girls," Head Coach Chad Teichert said. "That's a great team that we beat.  Their coach is a class act and they have some super kids.  It was one of those matches that could have gone either way."

The Bengals advance to the championship match to face Northern Colorado Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on the ICCU Court inside Reed Gym.  It is ISU's third consecutive appearance in the Big Sky championship.  They defeated Portland State last season while falling to UNC in 2012.

Tied at one set a piece, ISU appeared on their way to an easy third set victory before NAU erased a 13-4 deficit to fight back and take the set. The top seeded Bengals were forced to respond or watch their year come to a close.

"Our kids kept working and working and working," Teichert said. "Sometimes you just have to grind a match out."

The two teams exchanged points back and forth throughout the fourth set before ISU finally captured the 28-26 win to force the deciding fifth set.

"We just had to focus on one ball at a time," setter Hailey Farrer said.

The Bengals saved their best set until the end, hitting .300 in the fifth with the exclamation mark and match point coming on an ace from Big Sky MVP Tressa Lyman.

"Sometimes things don't go your way but they kept their composure and kept fighting," Teichert said.

Lyman (19 kills and 11 digs) Farrer (61 assists and 12 digs) and Amy Sorensen (13 digs and 11 kills) each collected double-doubles. Kylee Sessions had 25 digs while Makenzie Filer added 14 kills.

"It was crazy tonight," Farrer said. "It was great seeing the crowd. We are grateful and blessed to be able to play in front of them."

ISU and UNC will meet in a rematch of the 2012 Big Sky Championship.  The Bengals led that match 2-0 before the Bears stormed back to win 3-2.

Idaho State has now won 13 straight matches and 20 of the last 21.  Northern Colorado is the only Big Sky team to defeat the Bengals this season.