McNeese State Box Score PDF |
Pepperdine Box Score PDFPOCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State volleyball team won its second straight match after sweeping McNeese State in three sets, 25-14, 25-23 and 25-17.
Sophomore outside hitter
Chloe Hirst continued her dominate play at the net, recording a match-high 14 kills with a .458 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter
Tressa Lyman notched 11 kills and 10 digs for her eighth double-double of the season.
"I'm very proud of the team and their response today," Head Coach
Rick Reynolds said. "It was a great team effort and we were able to take steps forward."
McNeese State scored the first points of the match but the lead was short-lived as the Bengals went on a 13-3 run to take a commanding lead, 13-4. Four different Bengals recorded kills during that run, and ISU was able to capitalize on six different errors committed by the Cowgirls. The Bengals maintained their lead and cruised to the 25-14 first set win.
The second set featured 11 ties and four lead changes in a back-and-forth battle. ISU recorded the first points of the match but a 4-0 run by McNeese State Cowgirls in front, 4-1. ISU responded with a 4-1 run of its own to tie the match 5-5. The Bengals took the lead 6-5 off a kill from junior setter
Hayley Farrer and extended their lead to as many as three points two separate times. The Cowgirls closed the gap to lead 23-22, but ISU closed out the set with a 3-1 run to win the set 25-23.
ISU worked to close the match in three sets, and recorded more kills (13 to 7) and digs (13 to 9) than the Cowgirls. The Bengals never trailed in the set, winning 25-17.
"McNeese was a tough matchup," Reynolds said. "They had some really high moments and those can carry you a long way. We were able to pressure them and create some areas for us to push through.
Our preseason has been what we expected. It was quite challenging, but I'm proud of how the team rose to that challenge. It should pay dividends as we enter Big Sky play."
LAST MATCH: ISU VOLLEYBALL HALTS PEPPERDINE'S COMBACK; WINS MATCH 3-1The Idaho State volleyball team defeated the Pepperdine Waves in four sets Friday morning, 25-22, 25-18, 22-25 and 25-21 in its second match of the Wyoming Invitational in Laramie, Wyo.
Hirst led the Bengals with a match- and career-high 17 kills to go along with five kills.
Lyman also had a career performance with a match- and career-high 21 digs to go along with 15 kills.
ISU controlled the match in the opening two sets, registering 29 kills to Pepperdine's 21 and also getting it done on the defensive end, with 38 total digs by the end of the second set. Hirst was an offensive machine in the first two sets, registering 11 kills off of 27 attempts.
ISU entered the break with a 2-0 lead, but struggled to maintain its lead despite recording more digs and kills than the Waves. The Bengals raced out to a 9-1 lead, but Pepperdine slowly chipped away at the lead. Two ISU attacking errors and four straight kills from Pepperdine's Jenna Tunnell gave the waves their first lead of the game, 17-16. ISU was unable to halt the momentum, and Pepperdine went on to win the third 25-22.
In the fourth set the momentum swung in favor of the Bengals as ISU charged ahead with an 8-1 run that featured kills from Hirst and senior middle blocker
Makenzie Filer, along with a few Bengal aces. Pepperdine gained some ground on ISU following a timeout, going on a 6-2 run to cut ISU's lead to three, 10-7. The Bengals answered with a 7-2 run to extend their lead to eight, 17-9. ISU continued to control the set and cruised to a 25-21 set win.
"Pepperdine is a young team, but they've grown up fast and beat some strong teams," Reynolds said. "This will be a win we look back on; I have a lot of respect for Head Coach Scott Wong and what he is doing. It won't be long until they are in the top 25 annually."
Friday's matches mark the last of the Bengal's nonconference schedule. ISU heads out on the road to open Big Sky Conference play, heading to Bozeman, Mont. to face Montana State Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
This Is Our Time
