LARAMIE, Wyo. – Idaho State volleyball put together a strong showing at the UniWyo Invite, going 2–1 over the weekend with victories against Portland and host Wyoming before falling to Long Beach State in a five-set finale at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
Recap
Match vs. Portland (Sept. 18)
The Bengals opened the tournament on the right note, defeating Portland 3–1 (25–23, 25–16, 24–26, 25–21). ISU controlled the net with 14 team blocks and held the Pilots under .200 hitting. Jaydin Watts led with 14 kills, while Meline Shulikov and Marci Bell each added 11. Setter Nora Waddoups dished out 28 assists, and Jenna Werbelow and Annelie Wilson both tallied 10 digs.
Match vs. Wyoming (Sept. 19)
In a back-and-forth thriller, Idaho State knocked off host Wyoming 3–2 (25–21, 16–25, 15–25, 25–22, 16–14). After dropping sets two and three, the Bengals rallied in the fourth and sealed the win in extra points in the fifth.
Jaydin Watts had a career night, smashing 19 kills on .500 hitting to lead all players. Marci Bell also set a career high with 17 kills on .375 hitting to go along with 5 blocks, while Ava Brickner chipped in 11 kills. Setter Nora Waddoups fueled the attack with 37 assists and 21 digs for her first career double-double, and libero Jenna Werbelow anchored the defense with a career-high 30 digs, a total that ties for 18th most in a single match in Idaho State volleyball history. As a team, ISU out-dug Wyoming 103–93 and tallied 16 blocks.
Match vs. Long Beach State (Sept. 20)
The Bengals closed the tournament in dramatic fashion, taking Long Beach State to five sets before falling 2-3 (21–25, 18-25, 25–23, 32–30, 8–15). Watts recorded a team-high 14 kills and 8 blocks, while Shulikov added 11 on .250 hitting. Brinley Smith posted 9 kills and 5 blocks, while Waddoups distributed 31 assists.
From the Coach
Head Coach Sean Carter praised his team's growth, saying, "So proud of our team this weekend — we are getting better without a doubt. This was our toughest tournament of our non-conference and to win two matches and go five with a team like Long Beach gives me a lot of confidence going into conference play."
Carter highlighted the individual standouts as well: "Jaydin Watts proved why she was voted preseason MVP — she may have had the best middle blocker performance I have seen in one weekend. Marci Bell was right behind her, Jenna Werbelow had a Libero of the Year digging performance, and Nora Waddoups may have had the best defensive performance I have ever seen out of a setter."
Looking ahead, Carter added, "We wished we could have played like this in our first few weekends, but we are learning a lot and young kids are growing up right in front of us. We have a lot to work on and a lot we can draw back from. The Bengals are ready to get into league play!"
Bengal Bites
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Idaho State finished 2–1 at the UniWyo Invite and improved to 4-8 overall.
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The Bengals earned a five-set victory over host Wyoming, highlighted by multiple career performances.
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Career Highs:
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Other Standouts:
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Watts also posted 14 kills vs. Long Beach and Portland.
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Brickner: 11 kills vs. Wyoming, 10 vs. Long Beach State.
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Smith: 9 kills vs. Long Beach
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Bell also recorded 11 kills & 9 blocks vs. Portland, 8 kills & 4 blocks vs. Long Beach State
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Waddoups: 1st career double-double, 37 assists/21 digs vs. Wyoming, 31 assists vs. Long Beach,
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ISU has now played in five five-set matches this season, with the Wyoming win marking their first victory in a match that went the distance.
Next Up
Idaho State heads to Portland, OR to open Big Sky Conference play at Portland State on Thursday, September 25th at 8 p.m. MT.
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