Box Score PDF
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Idaho State volleyball team fell in four sets to defending Big Sky Conference champion Northern Arizona Thursday evening in Rolle Activity Center with scores of 25-22, 22-25, 25-22 and 25-17. Both squads were nearly even in kills for the match with the Bengals registering 54 to NAU's 52. The Lumberjacks claimed the edge in their ability to terminate, posting a .246 hitting percentage with just 18 errors, forcing sideouts on over 60 percent of the possessions in each set.
"This was a great Big Sky match," Head Coach
Rick Reynolds said. "There was great effort and fight shown tonight, and I am proud of where we are headed. We need to continue to grow and be consistent throughout the match; our ability to sustain a high level of play is vital for us to succeed."
Two Bengals finished with double-doubles as junior
Chloe Hirst posted 14 kills and 11 digs and senior
Hayley Farrer added 43 assists and 11 digs. Freshman
Nicole Lee added a season-high 11 kills and a team-high .350 hitting percentage.
Northern Arizona (13-3, 3-0 BSC) started the match on a 3-0 run with three-straight kills from Lauren Jacobsen. Idaho State's (5-11, 0-3 BSC)
Marissa Todd ended the run with a big kill, and Lee followed with a kill of her own to cut NAU's advantage to one, 3-2. That was the closest the Bengals would come in the first set; the Lumberjacks maintained a healthy two to four point lead throughout most of the set. Idaho State cut the lead to two, 24-22 following 4-1 run fueled by three NAU errors and a kill from sophomore
Abby Jensen, but a subsequent ISU service error gave NAU the 25-22 first set win.
The second set started identically to the first, with a kill from NAU's Jacobsen, but instead of a 3-0 Lumberjack run, it was the Bengals who took the early lead, 4-1. Idaho State maintained the lead until a 5-2 NAU run midway through the set tied it all at 16. A kill from Farrer and a service ace from freshman
Brooke Pehrson gave ISU a two-point cushion and the Lumberjacks would never close the gap. Idaho State put the set away with a final kill from Hirst for the 25-22 second set victory.
After the break, Idaho State struck first with a kill from Lee, but NAU responded with a 7-0 run fueled by four ISU errors. The Bengals responded and put together an 8-4 run behind three kills from Hirst and two from Jensen coupled with multiple NAU errors to cut the 'Jacks lead to two, 11-9. The momentum shifted in favor of NAU as the Lumberjacks extended their lead to five, 17-12, but another Bengal run cut the lead to one, 22-21. However, two ISU service errors and a kill from NAU's Jacobsen put the set away for the 'Jacks, 25-22.
In the fourth set, the Bengals never had the advantage as NAU claimed the early lead behind two straight Lumberjack kills. That lead was extended to four, 8-4 following an ISU attacking error, but the Bengals responded cutting the deficit to two, 10-8, following an NAU ball handling error. That is as close as ISU would come as a .028 hitting percentage plagued the Bengals in the fourth set, enabling NAU to extend its lead to as many as nine. A kill from Jensen and a NAU attacking error brought the Bengals within seven, but the 'Jacks prevented a late ISU run and took the set 25-17 to earn the 3-1 match win.
"NAU really finished well in the fourth set," Reynold said. "That made the difference in that final set."
Idaho State continues its road swing Saturday, Oct. 1 as it travels to Cedar City, Utah to take on the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah at 7 p.m. at Centum Arena.
NOTES
- Senior Hayley Farrer recorded 43 assists on the night to give her 3,178 career assists. Farrer currently ranks sixth in ISU history in career assists.
- Farrer's 11 digs gives her 1,042 for her career, 16 shy of breaking the top 12 in Idaho State history.
- Both Farrer and junior Chloe Hirst recorded double-doubles for the Bengals. This was Farrer's eighth double-double on the season and fifth consecutive, while Hirst posted her sixth on the season and third consecutive. This was the sixth-straight match that Idaho State has had at least one player finish with a double-double.
