POCATELLO, Idaho – With the match on the line and a 31-30 lead in extra points, Idaho State needed one final point to close out its match with Weber State. As the final Wildcat attack soared out of bounds and the Bengals rushed the court, the Roar of Bengal fans filled the gym and were loud enough to drown out the PA. One thing though, this wasn't in Reed Gym, the Bengals took down the Wildcats 3-1 Friday evening in Ogden, UT in Swensen Gym. Bengal fans traveled as a pack and showed what we mean as we say Roar Together.
Heading into the match, The Idaho State Bengals had been in a slump and were looking for a spark to break them out of the five-match losing streak they had been on. Instead of rolling over and taking a loss to the No. two team in the conference, the Bengals entered the Gym ready to rumble with the Wildcats.
For the first half of the first set, neither team was able to get an edge over the other, both teams traded their fair share of errors and both teams connected on strong attacks. The stalemate broke at 16-15 when Sadie Bluth sent a hard attack over the net for the kill to put the Bengals up 17-15.
The Wildcats would try to put up a defense at that point, but the dam had broken and it was quickly 23-19 after a block by Jamie Streit and Emrie Satuala.
The Bengals forced set point and who else got the double block but Satuala and Streit again to earn the Bengals the 25-20 Set 1 win.
Set one saw the highest hitting percentage for the Orange and Black during the match at .219, but the most kills would come later.
Set two, the Bengals showed their resolve. After getting out early, the Wildcats put together a run and took an 18-14 lead into the end of the set.
Idaho State made a decision at that point, would they play with one of the better teams in the conference, or would they roll over? The Bengals came to play.
Going on a run, Idaho State put together kills by Taylor Burnham and Rachel Warren capped by a Burnham ace to tie the match up at 18-18 and get the Bengals right back into it.
After trading points, Asiah Sopoaga connected on a service ace and the Bengals were first to 20.
The Bengals jumped on the advantage and with a couple kills by Satuala, took Set 2, 25-22.
Set three was played and the Wildcats took advantage of Bengal errors to win the set, making the match 2-1 headed into a pivotal fourth set.
Both teams were ready headed into the fourth, and they showed it going back and forth with a remarkable 22 tie scores in the set and five different lead changes.
Near the end of the set, the two teams tied it up at 24-24 and we were headed to extra points. As they had all set, both teams traded back and forth. Idaho State kept winning points setting themselves up for match point over six times, but the Wildcat defense was able to hold each time. Finally after a huge block by Meline Robarge, the Bengals had another look at match point. This time the Bengal defense held firm and forced the Weber attacker to hit her attack long, scoring the error and the Bengals winning the marathon set 32-20.
The Bengals rushed the court victorious with the 3-1 win. The Idaho State faithfull in attendance were so loud that the gym sounded like a home game in Reed Gym. The Bengals earned their cheer and they let Ogden hear their ROAR.
Coach Carters Thoughts
"The blocking and defensive effort was the match tonight," remarked Head Coach Sean Carter. "Kills were really hard to come by and our team worked all week on blocking and defending with the energy and urgency that we need to have and we played great team defense!!! Very proud of our effort now we have to prove that we can do that consistently no matter who the opponent is"
Bengal Bites
· The all-time series of the two programs is back to square at 51-51
· This is the first win over the Wildcats since the 2018 season, Snapping an eight-game losing streak to Weber State
· Jamie Streit had another double-double for the Bengals with 11 Kills and 11 Digs
· Sadie Bluth led the team in kills, notching 15 on the night.
· The Bengals ended the match with 11 blocks, Emrie Satuala led the team with six total, but seven different Bengals contributed at the net with at least a block assist.
Social Bites
Looking Ahead
After their long road trip, the Bengals are finally back home in Reed Gym on Nov. 3 and 5 as they take on Eastern Washington and then Idaho in an ICCU Battle of the Domes matchup.
