POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State volleyball team dropped their season opener 3-1 to No. 23 Utah at Utah Classic in Salt Lake City, Utah. Junior setter
Hayley Farrer recorded a match-high 40 assists to go along with 12 digs for the Bengals, and senior outside hitter
Makenzie Filer led ISU with 15 kills and a .355 hitting percentage, but Utah defeated the Bengals in four sets, 25-21, 23-25, 25-17 and 25-21.
The returning Big Sky regular season champs looked solid on the hardwood for their first match under first-year Head Coach
Rick Reynolds. The Bengals traded point-for-point with Utah to start the first set, but the Utes gained a bit of space after a 6-3 run that put them on top 13-11. The Bengals battled back, and tied the match at 13-all following a pair of kills by sophomore outside hitters
Marissa Todd and
Chloe Hirst.
The Utes made another run, this time 7-3, to jump ahead 20-16. ISU was unable to close the gap and lost the first set 25-21.
In the second set, the Bengals fell behind 11-6 before a kill by junior
Sommer Reeder started a 6-1 run that tied the score 12-12. Both squads battled back and forth the remainder of the set, but ISU outlasted the Utes and took the second set 25-23. The Bengals posted a .239 hitting percentage and recorded 15 kills in the second set, compared to Utah's .195 hitting percentage and 14 recorded kills.
Following the break, the Bengals gave up a 10-3 run in the middle of the third that they were unable to recover from. Utah recorded a match-high .333 hitting percentage in the third set and rolled past the Bengals 25-17 to claim the third set.
In the fourth set, the Bengals kept Utah within two points for nearly the entire set. Following a kill by senior
Tressa Lyman, Utah's Anae Adora recorded two straight kills to put Utah in front 23-19. The Utes closed out the set to win 25-21 and claim the match.
"I'm very proud of the effort that was put forth tonight," Reynolds said. "This was a great gauge in guiding us toward the level of skill and effort we need to be able to sustain a push and finish a match against a top 25 team like Utah...It was really great to see so much orange, so much Bengal support, in the Utah stands this evening."
Idaho State will play their second match of the Utah Classic against Lipscomb Saturday, Aug. 29 at 12 p.m. Following the Lipscomb match, the Bengals will face CSU Northridge at 5 p.m. in the their third and final match of the Utah Classic.
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