Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats
POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State volleyball team faces Utah Valley Monday, Sept. 4 in its home opener at 6 p.m. at Reed Gym. The match will be an Orange Out; fans are encouraged to wear Bengal Orange. The Bengals return to Pocatello after a 2-1 showing at the Bruiser Showcase Sept. 1-2, hosted by Belmont in Nashville, Tenn.
BENGAL PREVIEW
Idaho State is coming off a strong showing at the Bruiser Showcase in Nashville, Tenn. The Bengals picked up two wins with a 3-0 sweep against Middle Tennessee and a 3-2 match win at Belmont. UT-Arlington bested the Bengals 3-0 in the final match of the tournament.
Senior outside hitter
Chloe Hirst led the Bengals with 35 total kills over three matches, hitting .180 for a 3.18 kills per set average. She also finished with 2.55 digs per set to rank second on the squad for the tournament. Junior outside hitter
Abby Garrity also came up big for the Bengals with 26 total kills on the weekend, hitting .214 for a 2.36 kills per set average. Sophomore libero
Haylie Keck led ISU with 3.45 digs per set, while junior setter
Ashlyn Van Every finished with a 6.82 assists per set average.
Both Hirst and Garrity were named to the Bruiser Showcase All-Tournament Team for their performances.
SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY
UVU (3-4) will enter the contests with a second-place finish at the home Wolverine Invitational this past weekend. Following a 3-0 setback in three tightly contested sets to No. 9 Kansas in the tournament opener on Thursday (20-25, 19-25, 23-25), the Wolverines responded with a 3-0 sweep over Montana on Friday (25-15, 26-24, 25-16) and followed that up a 3-1 victory over Long Beach State in the tournament finale in Saturday (25-21, 12-25, 27-25, 25-18).
Seniors Madison Dennison and Sierra Starley were both named to the Wolverine Invitational All-Tournament Team after helping lead UVU to the pair of victories. Dennison, who tied a career-high with 17 kills on Saturday against LBSU, put up a total of 36 kills on the weekend, a 3.60 kills per set average, a .410 hitting percentage, and 13 blocks for an average of 1.30 blocks per set, while Starley dished out 103 assists, a 10.30 assists per set average, 14 digs, nine blocks, eight kills and a pair of service aces.
Freshman Kristen Allred too had a big weekend for Utah Valley by tallying 31 kills (3.10 kills per set average), 22 digs (2.20 digs per set average), seven blocks and four block assists, as did fellow freshman Seren Merrill who led the way from the back row with 48 digs (4.80 digs per set average) and four aces.
Dennison paces UVU on the season in both kills and blocks with respective per set averages of 3.08 and 1.48 per set. She also holds a .302 attack percentage after hitting over .400 last week. She also leads the WAC in both total blocks (37.0) and blocks per set average (1.48). Fellow senior Lexi Thompson is next for UVU offensively with a 2.84 kills per set average, while Starley leads the way in assists by dishing out 9.60 per set.
UVU was picked to finish third in the WAC this season after going 16-14 overall and tying for second in 2016 in league play with a 10-4 WAC record.
SERIES REVIEW
This will be the 15th meeting between Idaho State and Utah Valley. The Bengals claim an 8-6 edge in the series, and they have won the last five matches dating back to Sept. 24, 2011. In the last meeting, Idaho State defeated the Wolverines 3-0 in Orem, Utah on Aug. 30, 2016.
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE
Monday's match will be available to watch, listen and follow live stats.
Watch: Pluto TV Channel 243. Click
here to access Pluto TV.
Listen: KISU 91.1 FM or online
here.
Lives Stats: Click
here.
