ISU Closes Regular Season with Victory at Weber State

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OGDEN, Utah – The Idaho State volleyball team ended the regular season with a win Saturday night, defeating Weber State in four sets 27-25, 25-13, 21-15 and 25-22. The Bengals registered 63 kills with a .208 hitting percentage on their way to their 21st win.

Three Bengals finished with double-figure kills, led by senior outside hitter Tressa Lyman with her 15th double-double of the season. Lyman finished with a match-high 19 kills to go along with 13 digs, followed by junior outside hitter Bailey Bars with 14 kills and eight digs. Senior middle blocker Makenzie Filer rounded out the group with 11 kills and eight blocks.

Idaho State (21-9, 13-3 BSC) struck first, registering the first two points of the match with a kill from sophomore outside hitter Chloe Hirst in addition to a Wildcat attacking error.  Weber State (6-22, 2-14 BSC) countered in a similar fashion, capitalizing on an ISU attacking error and registering a kill from Taylor Christensen. WSU continued on its run, leading 7-3 following three ISU attacking errors. The Bengals quickly tied it up 7-all with a kill from Bars, and neither team was able to create separation until ISU registered two kills, both from Lyman, in addition to a Weber State attacking error to go up 19-14. WSU closed the gap and tied the set 23-all and took the lead briefly 25-24, but the Bengals finished the set with three-straight kills to take the set, 27-25 and the early match lead, 1-0.

The Bengals controlled the second set, claiming the first point and building a sizable 14-8 lead midway through the set. Lyman was on fire in the second, registering five kills with zero errors for a .556 hitting percentage to go along with three digs. As a team, ISU hit .375 in the second set while WSU hit .080, aiding in its 25-13 route of the Wildcats to claim the 2-0 lead heading into the break.

In the third set, the momentum swung in favor of the Wildcats, as the Bengals struggled to connect. Despite registering more kills than WSU, the Bengals were unable to offset a measly .027 hitting percentage and fell behind early. The Wildcats led for all but the first play of the set and handed the Bengals their first set loss of the night, 25-21.

The fourth set was close throughout with neither team leading by more than three points. The set featured four ties and two lead changes with the final tie coming midway through the set at 16-all. The Bengals were down 14-16 and went on a 5-0 run with three straight kills from Filer to take the 19-16 lead. ISU never relinquished its late lead and finished the fourth with two-straight kills to take the set 25-22 and defeat Weber State 3-1.

"It is exciting to end the regular season with a win," said Head Coach Rick Reynolds. "The Big Sky is a tough conference week in and week out and you h ave to be prepared to go the distance ever time you compete. We are excited to get ready for the Big Sky tournament. We look forward to having the opportunity to compete for the Big Sky Championship."

The victory Saturday night marks the end of the regular season for the Bengals; they head to Flagstaff, Ariz. Nov. 19-21 for the Big Sky Championships and a chance for a bid to the NCAA Championships. Idaho State finished with a 13-3 conference record, two games behind Big Sky regular-season champion NAU.