Bengals Head to Sac State for Important Saturday Matchup

Game Notes | Live Stats

POCATELLO, Idaho – The ISU volleyball team is gearing up for its final regular-season road match against Sacramento State this Saturday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. MST. The Bengals defeated Sacramento State in four sets Oct. 1 in Pocatello, Idaho. The Hornets are currently on a seven-game win streak, and are 10-1 at home this season and have not lost a conference match at home this season.

ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
This will be the 41st meeting between Idaho State and Sacramento State. The Bengals have not lost to the Hornets since Sept. 30, 2011.  The Hornets are 23-5 overall this season with a 10-3 mark in conference play, good for third place in the South Division.

Currently, Sac State is averaging 14.2 kills per set with a .263 hitting percentage in addition to 13.0 assists per set. The Hornets average 15.6 digs per set and have 245.0 total blocks on the season for a 2.33 blocks per set average. Sacramento State is led by senior outside hitter Lauren Kissell who averages 4.19 kills per set and carries a .320 hitting percentage. Kissell ranks third in the BSC in kills and fifth in hitting percentage.

Head Coach Ruben Volta is in his eighth season with the Hornets and is 116-133 overall.

LAST MATCH: BENGALS SWEET PORTLAND STATE ON FIRST STOP OF FINAL ROAD TRIP
The ISU volleyball team swept Portland State in Portland, Ore., Thursday evening with set scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 25-19. With the win, the Bengals are in second place in the Big Sky South Division, one game behind division-leader Northern Arizona.

Idaho State was led by senior outside hitter Tressa Lyman who recorded her 14th double-double of the season with a match-high 12 kills with a .303 hitting percentage to go along with 12 digs. Junior outside hitter Bailey Bars tied the match-high in digs with 14 and recorded six kills with a match-high .455 hitting percentage.

In the first set, Idaho State (19-8, 11-2 BSC) and Portland State (7-18, 3-10 BSC) traded point-for-point until PSU capitalized on two Bengal errors for a 12-9 advantage. ISU responded with two straight kills from senior middle blocker Makenzie Filer and Lyman to cut the Vikings' lead to one. The Bengals tied up the score four times before regaining the lead 19-18 following two straight kills, one from Farrer and another from Filer.  ISU never relinquished its late first-set lead and won the first 25-22.

The Bengals' momentum continued into the second set they claimed the first point following a massive rally that ended with a PSU attacking error. ISU capitalized on four-straight PSU errors and two-straight Lyman kills to go on a 6-0 run and extend its early lead to six points, 7-1. Portland State chipped away at ISU's lead and came to within two points, 10-8 off a kill from Eva Linden, but the Bengals responded with a 4-0 run to gain another six-point advantage and force a PSU timeout. The Vikings continued to chip away at ISU's lead, recording three-straight blocks to cut the Bengals' lead to one, 20-19, but ISU responded with four kills to claim the second 25-22.

ISU had another quick start in the third, racing out to a 7-3 lead that featured two aces from sophomore outside hitter Chloe Hirst and two kills from junior outside hitter Sommer Reeder. The third set was littered with service errors with eight total between the squads, but ISU was incredibly efficient on the attack, connecting on 12 of 26 attempts with only one error for a .423 hitting percentage. ISU maintained a comfortable lead for the majority of the third set, building a seven-point lead midway through at 17-10. The Bengals cruised to a third-set victory 25-19 to sweep the Vikings 3-0.