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CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Idaho State volleyball team picked up its first conference win Saturday night with a 3-1 victory over Southern Utah at Centum Arena in Cedar City, Utah. The Bengals bested the Thunderbirds 25-23, 19-25, 25-19 and 25-23 and registered their third 60-plus kill match this season with 61 total kills for the match.
"I am really proud of our team tonight," Head Coach
Rick Reynolds said. "I thought we served tough tonight and created more opportunities for ourselves offensively. But hats off to Southern Utah; they are tough and play with a lot of heart."
Junior outside hitter
Chloe Hirst led the Bengals with her fourth consecutive double-double, recording 22 kills and a career-high 19 digs hitting .175 for the match. Hirst also added two service aces and two block assists in the win. Sophomore
Abby Jensen also finished with a double-double with 16 kills and 12 digs. Freshman
Haylie Keck posted a season-high 34 digs, three digs shy of the four-set single match record of 37 set in 1987.
Idaho State (6-11, 1-3 BSC) struck first as freshman
Nicole Lee connected for a big kill and the early lead. The Bengals extended their lead to three, 6-3, following two consecutive kills, one from Hirst and another from senior
Hayley Farrer, but Southern Utah (2-14, 0-4 BSC) would close the gap and tie the match at 7-all and again at 10-all. The Bengals relinquished their lead following two consecutive hitting errors, but two more ISU hitting errors and a kill from SUU's Ann Clappier gave the T-Birds a four point lead, 16-12.
The Thunderbirds extended the lead to as many as five, but a 6-0 run from the Bengals fueled by three Bengal kills and a service ace tied the match at 20-all. Idaho State closed the first set with a 5-3 run to claim the 25-23 first set win.
Idaho State suffered a -.023 hitting percentage in the second set and opened the door for Southern Utah. Hirst was the only Bengal to connect on more than one attempt and finished the set with five kills, but the T-Birds posted 12 kills for the set, hitting .125, and cruised to the 25-19 second set win to tie the match 1-1.
Coming out of the break, the Bengals rebounded from their hitting struggles of the second set finishing with 21 kills while hitting .312 with just six errors. Idaho State started the set with a kill from Hirst and never trailed, coasting to the 25-19 third set victory and the 2-1 match lead.
"We came out after the break and really took over offensively," Reynolds said. "We were terminating at a high level and transitioning really well."
The fourth set was a battle from the beginning, as an ISU hitting error gave SUU the early advantage. Idaho State tied the set three times before taking the lead, at 9-all, 10-all and 11-all. The Bengals briefly took the lead, 12-11, with a kill from Jensen, but two straight ISU attacking errors tied the set once more at 13-all. A kill from senior
Taeja Davis and two consecutive SUU hitting errors gave ISU a three-point cushion 16-13, but a kill from the T-Birds and two consecutive ISU hitting errors tied the set at 16-all.
The Bengals and T-Birds were tied three more times in the set, at 17-all, 18-all and 19-all, but a 3-0 Bengal run supported by two ISU kills gave the Bengals the separation they needed to put the match away. The T-Birds closed the gap briefly to one point, 24-23, but Idaho State converted the match point behind a kill from Jensen to win the set 25-23 and the match, 3-1.
"We really fought tonight to earn this victory," Reynolds said. "It shows how tough the Big Sky is. We are excited to get back to work on Monday and continue the process of growing."
Chennin Benson led the T-Birds with 16 kills hitting .175, while Sariah Pelaez added a team-high 27 digs in the match.
Idaho State continues its road swing next weekend in Montana as the Bengals travel to Missoula, Mont. to face the Griz Thursday, Oct. 6.
