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MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Idaho State volleyball team picked up its first win of the season Saturday morning to the tune of a 3-1 romp of South Dakota State. The Bengals bested the Jackrabbits in nearly every single statistical category and shined in hitting. ISU recorded 58 kills hitting .345 while limiting SDSU to 37 kills hitting .133.
Idaho State (1-2) was led by senior outside hitter
Chloe Hirst with 14 kills and 11 digs for her second-straight double-double, while freshman
Taylor Meeks came up huge at the net with 14 kills hitting .632 to go along with a match-high four block assists. Junior
Abby Garrity added 11 kills while junior
Ashlyn Van Every finished with a match-high 44 assists.
"I thought our middles played really well today," Head Coach
Rick Reynolds said. "We were able to create good pressure with our serve, and we were able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to terminate and finish points."
The Bengals came out swinging in the first set, racing out to a 10-1 lead behind three kills apiece from Meeks and Hirst. Idaho State extended its lead to 10, 19-9, following a kill from senior
Marissa Dance and South Dakota State (1-2) was unable to close the gap. ISU hit .478 and collected three service aces on its way to a 25-11 first set win.
Idaho State continue its offensive dominance in the second set, hitting at a .417 clip for 12 kills, with the Bengals defensive pressure at the net force the Jackrabbits to hit -.067. South Dakota State picked up a 2-0 lead to begin the set, but a 10-5 Bengal run put ISU in front 10-7. Idaho State never relinquished its lead and cruised to the 25-18 run.
The third set started with a big 6-1 run from the Bengals, but the Jackrabbits quickly closed the game, forcing an 8-all tie with a service ace from SDSU's Makenzie Hennen. A kill from Garrity put ISU back in front, but a 6-2 SDSU run gave the Jackrabbits a three-point lead, 14-11. Three SDSU errors and a kill from Van Every tied the set 15-all, but South Dakota State finished on a 10-6 run to claim the third set, 25-21.
Idaho State put South Dakota State away in the fourth set behind the hot hands of Hirst and Meeks. The two combined for 11 kills off 15 attempts with no errors, while the Bengals defense thwarted 17 of SDSU's 35 attempts with 16 digs and one block. The Bengals held a comfortable 20-13 lead until an 8-1 run cut their lead to one, 21-20. But two kills by Hirst and two consecutive hitting errors by SDSU gave ISU the 25-20 fourth set win and the 3-1 match victory.
"This is a determined group and we are excited to get back into the gym and grow," Reynolds said.
The Jackrabbits were led by Makenzie Hennen with 11 kills while Ellie Benson finished with 11 digs.
Idaho State is back in action Sept. 1 against Middle Tennessee in the first match of the Bruiser Showcase, hosted by Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
