POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State (5-6) concluded the Pioneer Showdown with a loss to tournament host Denver (8-1) Saturday night. The Pioneers swept Idaho State (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) thanks to a strong attack, hitting .379 for the match.
"We did a great job of creating defensive opportunities with our serve and Denver answered by terminating at a high frequency," said Head Coach
Rick Reynolds. "We had a lot of chances to terminate in transition and too many ended in unforced errors. Overall we had a great weekend. The process is a long road and these women are committed to it."
Chelsea Johnston secured her second double-double of the season with 31 assists and 10 digs. The sophomore setter also collected two block assists.
Abby Garrity returned to the top of the kill column for Idaho State with 14 on 31 attacks to hit .355.
Brooke Pehrson tallied seven kills and four blocks on the night.
Garrity and Pehrson helped Idaho State climb to a 6-4 lead as the teams battled early on. The lead changed hands several times before Denver sparked an 8-0 run to go up 17-9. The Bengals were unable to overcome the streak and lost the first set 25-19 as Denver hit .500.
Garrity put ISU in front once again to start the second before Denver jumped to the lead. The Pioneers opened several runs on the Bengals, forcing a timeout at 18-12. The Bengals emerged from the huddle and started a 4-0 run of their own as Pehrson tallied two kills and a block. Denver responded with a timeout and then added some cushion before claiming the second set 25-20.
The Pioneers commanded the third set, allowing the Bengals to tie midway through, but never surrendering the lead. Kills by
Taylor Meeks and
Nicole Lee, a service ace from
Haylie Keck and a block by Pehrson and
Raegan Steiner fueled a Bengal streak to tie the game at 15-all. Denver responded with a 3-0 run and completed their third sweep of the tournament with another 25-20 win.
Katarina Marinkovic led the Pioneers with 12 kills and Lydia Bartalo added 11. Becca Latham led all hitters with a .533 hitting percentage on 15 attacks.
The teams were even in digs, but Denver held the advantage in kills, aces, blocks and assists. Idaho State committed twice as many hitting errors as Denver.
The Bengals end the tournament with a 2-1 record after collecting sweeps against Saint Peter's and Fairleigh Dickinson. Idaho State will end tournament play with the Seattle University Invitational next weekend.
"We continue to learn more about ourselves each match out," Reynolds said. "We've got some great lessons to take home with us and [we're] excited to get back in the gym and continue to raise the bar."
Milestones
Mahala Bradburn tallied her first kill.
Chelsea Johnson eclipsed 500 career assists.
New Match Highs
Kaia Rhodes – Kills:4 | Attacks:6 (Both vs. Fairleigh Dickinson)
Mahala Bradburn – Aces:2 (vs. Fairleigh Dickinson)
