Box Score PDF
POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State volleyball team fell to visiting Portland State in four sets with scores of 25-20, 25-19, 20-25 and 25-18. The Bengals hit just .069 for the match and suffered a season-high 34 hitting errors in the loss.
Idaho State (5-9, 0-1 BSC) had four players finish with double-doubles led by junior outside hitter
Chloe Hirst who finished with her fourth double-double of the season with a team-high 12 kills and 13 digs. Junior middle blocker
Marissa Todd added 11 kills and 13 digs, sophomore outside hitter
Abby Jensen added 10 kills and 10 digs while senior
Hayley Farrer added 39 kills and 17 digs to surpass the 1,000 career dig mark. Farrer now has 1,016 career digs.
"It is exciting to see our team producing the numbers it is on defense to create the double-doubles," Head Coach
Rick Reynolds said. "When our ability to terminate the changes we create catches up, it is going to be fun to watch."
In the first set, Idaho State held the early lead 10-8 until an 8-2 Portland State (9-4, 1-0 BSC) run put the Bengals back 16-12. Three Bengals kills coupled with three PSU attacking errors tied the set 17-all, but the Bengals' dismal first-set .069 hitting percentage caught up with them. Three hitting errors in combination with four Portland State kills pushed the Vikings ahead as they put together an 8-3 run to earn the 25-20 first set win.
Idaho State battled in the second set keeping it close throughout. The set featured eight ties and two lead changes, and was tied 19-all following two-straight ISU kills courtesy of Todd and Hirst. Yet the Bengals again struggled to finish with a .081 hitting percentage for the set; PSU finished on a 6-0 run behind two kills, a service ace and three ISU hitting errors to claim the set win 25-19.
Coming out of the break, the momentum shifted in favor of the Bengals as Idaho State hit .189 with just three errors while the Vikings hit .041 with 12 errors. Portland State took the early lead 2-1, but ISU capitalized on six PSU hitting errors to take the 10-7 lead. The Bengals extended their lead to as many as seven, 17-10 with a kill from Hirst and held on for the 25-20 third set win.
In the fourth set, Idaho State recorded 15 kills to PSU's 10, yet 12 hitting errors and a .068 hitting percentage gave the Vikings the upper hand. The score was tied 4-4 early in the set following a kill from Hirst, but a subsequent hitting error sparked a 14-7 PSU run to give the Vikings the 18-11 edge. Portland State kept the Bengals at bay and traded point-for-point on its way to the 25-18 fourth set win and 3-1 match win.
"Our team is continuing to show glimpses of what we can be," Reynolds said. "At this point in the season, it is imperative that we take what we practice into the match. We had some uncharacteristic hitting errors tonight. We created plenty of opportunities with our defense to put the ball down, and too often we didn't finish."
Idaho State returns to the floor Saturday, Sept. 24 against visiting Sacramento State at 7 p.m. at Reed Gym.
