Volleyball Opens Conference Play On The Road

Game Notes | Watch vs. NAU | Stats vs. NAU | Watch vs. SUU | Stats vs. SUU

POCATELLO, Idaho – Big Sky play is finally here for Idaho State volleyball as they hit the road to face Northern Arizona and Southern Utah this week. The Bengals open conference play against NAU Thursday at 8 p.m. and take on SUU at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Idaho State had the fifth-best nonconference record among Big Sky programs at 6-7. They averaged 12.72 kills, 12.06 assists, 13.40 digs and 2.00 blocks per set and hit .229 in 50 sets.

Last Time Out
Idaho State concluded nonconference play with a win and a loss at the Redhawk Invitational. The Bengals played five sets in a loss to Seattle University and then swept Tennessee Tech.

Abby Garrity led the attack with 33 kills and a .311 hitting percentage. She added 22 digs and two block assists and was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.

Nicole Lee, Brooke Pehrson, Taylor Meeks and Raegan Steiner also reached double-digit kill totals. Pehrson, Meeks and Steiner combined for 18 total blocks.

Chelsea Johnson continued to post astounding numbers with 86 assists during the eight sets. She also gathered three kills, two aces, 12 digs and four blocks. Haylie Keck collected 41 digs for the Bengals and Nikole Cook stepped in for 17 against TTU.

Scouting Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona had the second-best record among Big Sky teams in nonconference play. The Lumberjacks were 8-5 overall and secured a huge win against No. 8 Florida on Sept. 7. They have not been swept this season.

The duo of Kaylie Jorgenson and Heaven Harris carry the Lumberjacks on the attack with 302 combined kills on the season. Abby Akin leads all hitters with a .345 hitting percentage from the middle.

This will be one of the first teams ISU has faced all season that features two setters. Aubrea Bandfield and Abby Stomp both average roughly five assists per set and 1.6 digs per set.

Northern Arizona holds a .236 hitting percentage on the season while limiting its opponents to .168. The Lumberjacks average 12.38 kills, 11.66 assists, 17.68 digs, and 2.26 blocks per set.

Head Coach Ken Murphy enters his sixth season with NAU. He led the team to a 2015 Big Sky Championship and a 13-15 record in 2017.

Idaho State is 38-35 against Northern Arizona all-time. The Bengals have struggled when in Flagstaff with a 12-22 record away. The Lumberjacks swept the Bengals in both matchups a season ago.

Scouting Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds have one win in 12 matches so far and have been swept six times. Their lone win was a sweep against Jacksonville State in early September.

Janet Kalaniuvalu is the only player on SUU's roster to top 100 kills in 2018. The sophomore outside hitter has 147 kills in 44 sets for a 3.34 kills per set average. Anna Hopkins and Emma Mangum lead the team in blocks with 38 and 26 respectively. Setter Alexis Averett has 329 assists on the year and leads the team in aces with 12 while chipping in for 14 blocks.

Southern Utah has been held to a .147 hitting percentage, but opponents are hitting .275 against them. They average 9.77 kills, 8.93 assists, 13.2 digs, and 1.59 blocks per set.
The Thunderbirds are under the direction of first-year Head Coach Pete Hoyer.  

Idaho State has played some of its best volleyball against Southern Utah historically. The Bengals have topped the Thunderbirds in 13 of 16 contests with a perfect record at home. They hold a 5-2 record against SUU when in Cedar City and split the series in 2017 with a sweep at home and five-set loss on the road.

National Team Rankings – Idaho State Ranks:
No. 48 in assists with 603.
No. 51 in kills with 636.
No. 69 in aces with 70.
No. 87 in attacks with 1,680.
No. 92 in total blocks with 100.
No. 98 in hitting percentage at .229.

Individual National Rankings
Chelsea Johnson ranks No. 9 in the nation in assists with 544 and No. 28 in assists per set with 10.88.
Brooke Pehrson ranks No. 15 in the nation in blocks with 63 and No. 46 in blocks per set with 1.29.
Haylie Keck ranks No. 23 in the nation in digs with 248, No. 41 in digs per set with 4.96 and No. 77 in aces with 17.
Abby Garrity ranks No. 39 in kills with 186, No. 55 in attacks with 500, No. 66 in points and kills per set with 195.5 and 3.88 respectively, and No. 82 in attacks per set with 10.42.

Big Sky Conference Ranks (Top-5)
Chelsea Johnson - No. 1 in assists | No. 1 in assists per set
Brooke Pehrson - No. 2 in blocks | No. 2 in blocks per set
Haylie Keck - No. 1 in digs | No. 2 in digs/set | No. 5 in service aces
Abby Garrity - No. 2 in kills | No. 2 in points | No. 4 in attacks
No. 5 in attacks/set | No. 1 kills/set | No. 4 points/set