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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State volleyball team is just one game from returning to Reed Gym after its longest stretch of road games in conference play. The Bengals head to the site of the 2018 Big Sky Volleyball Conference Tournament, Greeley, Colo., to face the Northern Colorado Bears at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
Last Time Out
Idaho State is coming off a huge victory over Weber State. The Bengals defeated Weber State in five frames, becoming the first team to survive a deciding set against the Wildcats in 2018. Idaho State posted a .300-plus hitting percentage for the second time in as many games with four attackers reaching 10 kills in the match.
Nicole Lee led ISU with 17 kills while
Abby Garrity and
Chelsea Johnson posted double-doubles in the win. Garrity collected 15 kills, 10 digs and a block and erred just once on the attack. Johnson reached 60 assists for the third time and posted 10 digs. She also had a team-high eight blocks.
Brooke Pehrson hit at a .500 clip while
Taylor Meeks had 10 kills and seven blocks.
Haylie Keck provided 23 digs and four assists while
Mahala Bradburn reached 14 digs.
The Bengals had 14 blocks on the night which is their second-highest total of the season. They were efficient on offense and won seven no contests from the service line.
The Bengals have produced 12.9 kills, 12.3 assists, 14.9 digs, 2.2 blocks and 1.4 aces per set this season. ISU has hit .226 this season and limited opponents to a .204 hitting percentage.
Where They Stand
The win was critical for Idaho State as they pulled even with Weber State in the conference standings at 8-5. They also evened the 2018 series with WSU after losing to them at home to begin October.
Idaho sits atop the league standings at 10-2 with Northern Arizona and Sacramento State in tow at 9-3. Northern Colorado currently sits a half-game ahead of Weber State and Idaho State at 8-4 and hosts the Wildcats tonight.
Scouting Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado is 12-9 this season with an 8-4 record in Big Sky play. The Bears defeated both teams from Montana last week with a sweep of the Bobcats and a five-set win over the Griz.
The Bears have defended their home court well with just one loss in Greeley, Colo. during conference play. They are 8-4 overall this season at home.
Kortney Lockey is the only UNC player with more than 250 kills though Taylor Muff and Lauren Hinrichs are both closing in on 200. Two other Northern Colorado attackers have over 100 kills this season.
Daisy Shultz has done well spreading the ball with 11.15 assists per game. Taylor Els has anchored a back line that accumulates 16.7 digs per set. The sophomore ranks No. 23 with 5.36 digs per set and only trails
Haylie Keck in the conference.
The team averages 13.3 kills per game despite hitting .199 this year and has limited opponents to a .180 hitting percentage. The Bears tally 12.6 assists and 1.2 blocks per set. Like the Bengals, they have wreaked havoc from the service line with 1.6 aces per set.
Lyndsey Oates is in her 14th season at the head of UNC's program and has a 239-181 overall record.
