POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State swept Northern Arizonia Thursday night for their consecutive 3-set victory to begin conference play. The Bengals outblocked the lumberjacks 8-7, while also finishing with a higher hitting percentage (.194 to .147).
Recap
Down eight points in the opening set, Idaho State volleyball could have watched Thursday night's match get away early.
Instead, the Bengals battled all the way back.
Idaho State erased a 9-1 first-set deficit to win 26-24, setting the tone for a 26-24, 25-18, 25-23 sweep of defending Big Sky regular-season champion Northern Arizona inside Reed Gym.
The Bengals improved to 11-4 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky Conference play, remaining perfect through their first nine sets of conference action. After opening league play with road sweeps at Idaho and Eastern Washington, ISU returned home and kept its run going against the Lumberjacks.
The opening set looked much different early.
Northern Arizona raced out to a 9-1 advantage, putting Idaho State in its largest hole of the night. Rather than allowing the deficit to dictate the rest of the set, the Bengals leaned on their defense and gradually worked their way back into it.
Idaho State held Northern Arizona to just 10 kills on .088 hitting in the opening frame, forcing seven attacking errors and giving its offense time to find a rhythm. The Bengals continued chipping away before eventually pulling even and completing the comeback, turning an eight-point deficit into a 26-24 opening-set victory.
"I feel like we kind of got lucky and stole one in the first set, which certainly changes the match if they end up winning that first set," Head Coach Sean Carter said. "But the defense in the first set ended up holding them to .088, so I was really happy with the defense and effort we put together as the match progressed."
The comeback shifted the momentum inside Reed Gym, and Idaho State carried it into the second.
The Bengals put together their best offensive set of the night, hammering home 18 kills on .277 hitting. After the teams worked through six ties and two lead changes, Idaho State created separation and pulled away for a 25-18 victory, moving within one set of its third consecutive conference sweep.
Northern Arizona refused to go quietly in the third. The Lumberjacks produced their best offensive set of the match, hitting .200 with 13 kills, but Idaho State answered with 17 kills of its own.
Abby McClain stepped up when the Bengals needed her most. After recording just two kills through the first two sets, McClain erupted for six kills in the third and final set, accounting for six of her eight kills on the night during Idaho State's push to close out the sweep.
"We don't win the third set if Abby doesn't have six kills in that third set," Carter said. "It was a game changer, for sure."
Behind McClain's late surge, Idaho State held off Northern Arizona down the stretch for a 25-23 win, completing the sweep and improving to 3-0 in Big Sky play.
From overcoming an eight-point deficit in the first to closing out a two-point battle in the third, Idaho State continued to show its ability to respond when pushed.
"I told the girls it's like checking that box off the bingo card," Carter said. "I'm certainly really happy to see how we've come back in a few sets and a few matches now to find a way to battle."
Mia Walsh led Idaho State's balanced attack with 13 kills on .211 hitting, adding six digs and a block. Thursday marked the fourth match this season that Walsh has led the Bengals in kills, and the first time she has done so during Big Sky play.
"I felt like we were scoring, at least from the left with Mia, out of siding-out better than we have in a long time," Carter said. "It seems like kills are starting to go up as we progress through the season, and hopefully we can keep that going."
Jaydin Watts continued her efficient play in the middle, finishing with 11 kills on .348 hitting and three block assists. Gracie Vohs and McClain each added eight kills, giving Idaho State four players with at least eight kills as the Bengals finished with 49 as a team.
Freshman Bella Beatty added five kills while making her biggest impact defensively, finishing with five total blocks. Vohs also recorded five blocks as Idaho State totaled eight team blocks.
The Bengals continued to receive production from both setters. Nora Waddoups led Idaho State with 22 assists and six digs, while Kadence Marsh finished with 19 assists and 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season, a team-high/
Marsh credited her teammates and the continued chemistry between Idaho State's two setters for her performance.
"I think kudos to my teammates," Marsh said. "My double-double was kudos to Gracie, my right side, picking great spots. It was easy to dig around her, and kudos to all my hitters. They were putting the ball down tonight."
Marsh also pointed to the advantage of having Waddoups alongside her.
"I think we're feeding off each other well," Marsh said. "It's great to have her on the sideline too when I'm going off because she'll tell me, 'Hey, this is open, this is not.' It's great to have another person that sees the game exactly like me."
Carter echoed that confidence in his setting tandem.
"I can't say how proud I am of both of them because they're just so selfless," Carter said. "Right now, it seems like our team's best with two of them. I really feel like we've got the two best defensive setters in the league."
Behind them, Aspen Boice delivered another big night from the back row. The freshman libero collected a team-high 21 digs and added six assists, helping Idaho State finish with 60 digs.
Thursday marked the 10th match this season that Boice has led the Bengals in digs, continuing her consistency at libero. Boice also handled 28 serve-receive opportunities with only one reception error.
"I thought our libero played great tonight with Aspen, with her 21 digs," Carter said.
For Walsh, who played alongside Boice before the pair arrived at Idaho State, their familiarity continues to pay dividends.
"I feel like we know each other really well," Walsh said. "Before every serve, we usually pass by each other, so we'll always hold each other's hand. I feel like it just calms us both down, knowing that the person next to us knows us and how we can play well together."
That back-row play was part of a strong defensive night for Idaho State. The Bengals held Northern Arizona to 33 kills, on .147 hitting, forcing 16 attacking errors over three sets. The 33 kills were the third-lowest kill total Idaho State has allowed to an opponent in a match this season, and the lowest match kill total of the SEASON for NAU.
The Bengals' defensive effort was particularly important against a Northern Arizona lineup featuring some of the conference's top offensive threats. Gigi Greenlee eventually finished with nine kills on .368 hitting and six total blocks, but Idaho State made things difficult for her and the rest of the Lumberjack attack throughout the night.
"We certainly got to her a little bit, which helped us get on a few runs there, especially in set one," Carter said. "That was just our kids executing what we were trying to do with our scouting report to make life a little bit harder on the best players."
The victory added another chapter to the recent history between the two programs. After Idaho State knocked top-seeded Northern Arizona out of the 2025 Big Sky Tournament in the opening round, the Bengals once again found a way past the Lumberjacks, this time in straight sets in front of 567 fans at Reed Gym.
Bengal Bites
- The Bengals have opened conference play 9-0 in sets.
- ISU erased a 9-1 deficit in the opening set, storming back to win 26-24.
- Mia Walsh led Idaho State with 13 kills, marking the fourth match this season she has led the Bengals in kills.
- Abby McClain recorded six of her eight kills in the third and final set, helping ISU close out the Lumberjacks, 25-23.
- Kadence Marsh finished with 19 assists and 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season (Team-high)
- Aspen Boice recorded a team-high 21 digs, the 10th match this season she has led the Bengals in digs.
- Four Bengals finished with at least eight kills as Idaho State totaled 49 kills.
- Northern Arizona's 33 kills were the third-lowest kill total ISU has allowed to an opponent in a match this season.
- Idaho State held the Lumberjacks to .147 hitting for the match.
Next Up
The Bengals are back in Reed Gym on Saturday, Oct 3rd to face Portland State at 12 P.M. You can watch live on ESPN+ or follow along with LiveStats
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