Pocatello, ID - After a dominant run over the competition in Boise, including a 3-1 showout against the host Broncos and a three-set sweeper against Gonzaga, Idaho State Volleyball is taking the road for the last non-conference tournament of the season in Sioux Falls, SD.
The first matchup of the slate will take place on Thursday evening against the host SDSU Jackrabbits, who have marched out to an 8-0 start the season behind a daunting offensive attack from a roster featuring seven players between 6'1" and 6'5".
The second faceoff will be a matinee matchup against the Belmont Bruins out of Nashville, TN whose teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. For the Bengals, the tourney will conclude with an early morning matchup against the Toledo Rockets out of the MAC.
All three matches will be broadcast on the Summit League network, and more details can be found below
Scouting the Jacks
Hometown: Brookings, SD
Matchup with ISU: Thurs, Sept. 19 // 6:00pm MST (7:00pm CST)
Record: 8-0
2023 Record: 9-20 (7-9 conf.)
Players to watch: The Jackrabbits are led almost exclusively in kills by sophomore Sylvie Zgonc, who has recorded 132 in eight matches and leads the team by a wide margin in nearly every offensive category.
Sydni Schetnan has emerged as a two-way threat for the Jacks in 2024. The 6'5" redshirt junior leads the team in blocks with 40 and also sits at second in kills (75) behind Zgonc.
Scouting the Bruins
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Matchup with ISU: Fri, Sept. 20 // 3:00pm MST (4:00pm CST)
Record: 5-4
2023 Record: 14-20 (7-11 conf.)
Players to watch: Junior Brooke Gilleland leads the team in kills with 116, 50 more than second place.
Bella Mathis, a 6' redshirt junior, currently leads the team in blocks with 35. Kay Lucy, Kamryn Olson, and Gilleland have 16, 15, and 12 respectively in a stout defensive effort.
Scouting the Rockets
Hometown: Toledo, OH
Matchup with ISU: Sat, Sept. 21 //Â 9:00am MST (10:00am CST)
Record: 6-3
2023 Record: 14-17 (11-7 conf.)
Players to watch: The Rockets are led offensively by senior Taylor Alt and junior Izzy Granger, who have recorded 119 and 88 kills, respectively.
The defensive effort has been spread throughout the team, as five players have recorded at least 13 blocks in nine matches to date. 6'3" redshirt freshman Sierra Pertzborn has 31 total stops to only three errors to her name in 2024.
Bengal Bites
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After a dominant showing in Boise, the Bengals are leading the Big Sky Conference in three separate categories, including points per set (17.31), hitting percentage (.266), and total blocks (216). The lattermost category continues to lead all of D1 volleyball, as ISU is the only team so far to hit the 200 mark.
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The dominant defensive effort has placed three Bengals in the conference's top-10 in blocks. Jaydin Watts leads the Big Sky in blocks per set with 1.73. Marci Bell is third in that category but still sits at the top in total blocks with 58, and Meline Robarge has risen to sixth with 45 total stops on the season. Asiah Sopo'aga has held down the back end with 3.36 digs per set, seventh best in the conference.
