Volleyball Wins Fifth Straight with Sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State volleyball team won its fifth straight with a sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 25-22, 27-25 and 25-15 Saturday afternoon in their final match at the Boise State Invitational in Boise, Idaho. The Bengals had three players with double-digit kills and four players with seven or more digs.

Idaho State's senior duo of Tressa Lyman and Makenzie Filer continued their menacing weekend attack, posting 16 and 12 kills respectively. Junior outside hitter Baily Bars wasn't far behind with 11 kills and nine digs with a .421 hitting percentage.

"The team had a really good weekend," Head Coach Rick Reynolds said. "Our effort was high and we were able to execute at a high enough level to be successful."

Idaho State struggled to find their rhythm in the first set. The Bengals registered the first point off a kill from Filer, but the Islanders took over and built a sizeable five-point lead, 13-8 after an attacking error from sophomore outside hitter Chloe Hirst. The Bengals chipped away at the Islanders' lead and tied it up 18-all following a kill from Lyman. Idaho State turned it up and finished the set, winning 25-22.

The second set was a battle from the beginning. The Bengals were able to take the early six-point lead, 10-4, but the Islanders went on a 6-0 run to tie up the score at 10-all. The match featured nine more ties and four lead changes, but the Bengals connected when it counted to break a 25-all tie and score the set's next two points to claim the win, 27-25.

ISU ended the match strong and led the entire third set. Throughout the set, the Bengals slowly increased their lead, keeping the Islanders attacking front at bay. Idaho State recorded eight of its 14 block in the third set alone and limited Texas A&M-CC to 10 kills on a .118 hitting percentage. The Bengals finished the set on a 10-5 run to win 25-15 and sweep Texas A&M-CC.

"Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is a well-trained, strong serve receive, defensive-minded team who put a lot of pressure on us to be strong in transition," Reynolds said. "We learned the value of being disciplined in all aspects of the game.

"This tournament taught us the importance of valuing every rally and opportunity we get. We need to value each touch and take responsibility when given the opportunity to perform our skills."

With the win, Idaho State improves to 5-2 and head to Provo, Utah on Wednesday, Sept. 9 to face No. 12 BYU at 7 p.m. at Smith Fieldhouse.