BOISE, Idaho – Idaho State volleyball faced three matches in three days at the Boise State Invitational, falling in straight sets to San Francisco and Utah Tech before dropping a four-set battle to host Boise State at Bronco Gym.
Recap
Match vs. San Francisco (Sept. 11)
The Bengals opened the tournament with a 0–3 loss to San Francisco (23–25, 19–25, 21–25). Ava Brickner finished with 7 kills, while setter Nora Waddoups distributed 20 assists and added 5 digs. Libero Jenna Werbelow tallied 14 digs, and Waddoups also set new career highs with 6 kills and 4 blocks.
Match vs. Utah Tech (Sept. 12)
Idaho State fell 0–3 to Utah Tech (15–25, 23–25, 21–25) despite late rallies in the second and third sets. Jaydin Watts led with 5 kills on .357 hitting, while Marci Bell added 5 kills and 2 blocks. Waddoups posted 20 assists and 8 digs, and Werbelow added 17 digs.
Match vs. Boise State (Sept. 13)
The Bengals saved their strongest showing for the finale but ultimately fell 1–3 to Boise State (15–25, 27–25, 17–25, 19–25). Ava Brickner powered the attack with 14 kills and tied her career high with 34 attacks. Kadence Marsh chipped in 5 kills and a career-best 19 digs. Abby McClain set career highs with 7 kills, 39 attacks, and 3 blocks, and freshman Ashlyn Smith also recorded career highs with 2 kills, 14 attacks, and 1 block. Werbelow paced the back row with a career-high 19 digs and 5 assists.
From the Coach
Head Coach Sean Carter said he was encouraged by his team's progress over the three matches, even with the losses. "We got better as the tournament went on which is good, but unfortunately we couldn't play at the same level against USF and Utah Tech as we played against BSU," Carter said. "We made too many team errors and didn't play well enough defensively in order to win the first two matches. It has been tough finding consistency at a few positions so we have to be a bit more consistent in order to settle into a lineup."
Carter credited the defensive improvement in the Boise State match, adding, "Against BSU we may have played our best defensive match as a team so far this year, we just didn't quite get enough offense to force a fifth set."
Looking ahead, Carter emphasized closing out sets and sharpening execution: "We have shown we can play great in spurts but we have to learn how to close sets out, so we are eager and ready to play what I believe is the toughest tournament on our schedule next week in Laramie."
Bengal Bites
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Career Highs This Weekend:
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Werbelow recorded double-digit digs in all three matches, including her career-best 19 against Boise State.
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Freshmen Waddoups, Brickner, Marsh, and Antcliff continued to play expanded roles.
Next Up
Idaho State returns to action at the UniWyo Invite in Laramie, Wyoming, hosted by the University of Wyoming, where the Bengals will face some of their toughest competition of the non-conference season beginning Thursday, Sept. 18 and running through Saturday, Sept. 20. While there, Idaho State will face off against the University of Portland, Wyoming, and Long Beach State University.
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