POCATELLO, Idaho – In the first meeting between the two programs since last season's Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship match, Idaho State volleyball came out on top in another thriller against Northern Colorado, battling past the Bears 3-2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 17-15) Thursday night inside Reed Gym.
The Bengals dropped the opening set, responded to take a 2-1 match lead, then watched Northern Colorado force a fifth before rallying from a late deficit in the deciding frame. Idaho State trailed 10-6 in the fifth but refused to let the match get away, eventually finishing off a 17-15 victory in front of 432 fans.
With the win, Idaho State improves to 14-6 overall and 5-2 in Big Sky Conference play, while Northern Colorado moves to 9-9 overall and 5-2 in league action.
"I'm really proud of us," Kadence Marsh said. "I think that we finally proved that we can fight and we can hang with some of the great teams in our conference."
The win carried a little extra weight for the Bengals. Thursday marked the first meeting between Idaho State and Northern Colorado since the Bears defeated ISU in the 2025 Big Sky Tournament Championship match, ending the Bengals' historic postseason run.
This time, Idaho State found a way to finish.
"I mean, just the fight that our girls had, and then just the fact that we even got a chance to be in it after how that fifth set started," Head Coach Sean Carter said. "Our girls had the belief, and it was like they showed what they can do, and they just keep it together."
Northern Colorado came out firing in the opening set, putting down 16 kills on .308 hitting. Idaho State stayed within striking distance, but the Bears were able to create separation late and take the opener 25-20.
The response came immediately.
Idaho State put together its cleanest offensive set of the night in the second, totaling 13 kills with only two attack errors on 39 swings for a .282 hitting percentage. On the other side of the net, the Bengal defense held Northern Colorado to .077 hitting with 10 attack errors, helping ISU even the match with a 25-21 win.
For Annelie Wilson, the difference came from Idaho State settling into what Northern Colorado wanted to do offensively.
"We started picking better blocking spots, which got us better digs, which in turn just gave us more opportunities to attack again," Wilson said. "Coming back and figuring out ways to get them out of system and get ourselves into a better place to score, I think really helped us in that second set."
Idaho State's defense got even better in the third.
The Bengals limited Northern Colorado to just nine kills and forced eight attack errors, holding the Bears to .026 hitting in the frame. ISU put down 11 kills of its own and pulled away for a 25-19 victory, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Northern Colorado answered in the fourth, setting up the dramatic finish.
The Bears produced 18 kills on .275 hitting while Idaho State countered with 12 kills at a .231 clip. The set featured nine ties and five lead changes, with Northern Colorado eventually escaping 25-23 to send the match to a fifth.
Even after dropping the fourth, Wilson said there was no panic on the Idaho State side.
"I said after our loss in the fourth set, 'We still have control of this game,'" Wilson said. "There was just a couple unfortunate balls at the end. If we just clean up a couple things, this is our game. And so we just went out there, we kept that confidence, and we just battled through it."
That confidence would be tested almost immediately.
Idaho State fell behind early, 6-2, and later, 10-6, in the deciding set, with Carter noting afterward that the Bengals had already committed five errors among Northern Colorado's first nine points. Still, ISU kept itself in the match with defense and pressure from the service line.
"They just gritted their teeth, and they played defense, and they served pretty tough down the stretch," Carter said. "We just happened to make the plays."
Bella Beatty delivered two crucial kills late in the fifth, and the attention Northern Colorado was forced to give the true freshman middle helped open an opportunity for Mia Walsh in the middle of the court as the Bengals continued to claw their way back.
"She could've cracked," Carter said of Beatty. "She's not having her attacking night. She's making a few errors, and she stayed with it. She had two huge kills down the stretch in the fifth."
Neither side could create separation from there. The fifth set featured six ties and three lead changes before Idaho State finally broke through, taking the final two points to finish off the 17-15 victory. The match featured 27 ties and 11 lead changes overall.
"I think that we just looked to each other, really," Marsh said. "We never lost confidence in each other, and we definitely knew we could do it. We played with fire."
Idaho State had plenty of offense spread throughout the lineup, with four Bengals reaching double-digit kills.
Wilson led the way with 13 kills, adding 12 digs, four block assists and a service ace for her fourth double-double of the season. Carter credited Wilson for keeping the Bengals afloat early while Northern Colorado adjusted its defense to slow her down.
"She was the only reason we were in the match early and through the first three sets," Carter said. "She just had to do all the dirty work tonight."
"Annie is my MVP of the week so far," Carter added. "I've just loved her fight and the things that we've been working on in practice. She's really trying to do it."
Wilson credited Idaho State's passing and the threat created by the Bengal middles for opening opportunities on the pins.
"Getting that perfect pass up there, it's giving our setters a lot of options," Wilson said. "Having our middles being such high kill percentages and such a threat to the other team, it's getting a lot of good holds for the pins."
Mia Walsh continued her standout freshman season with another all-around performance, recording 12 kills on .242 hitting and 17 digs. The double-double was her team-leading seventh of the season.
"The kid's one of the best natural right back players I've ever seen," Carter said. "Her instincts of knowing when they're gonna tip it and being up there, and knowing when they're gonna hit it and being back, it's like she's one of the best I've ever seen as a true freshman."
Jaydin Watts remained one of Idaho State's most efficient attackers. Watts finished with 11 kills and just one attack error on 23 swings, hitting .435 while adding four total blocks.
Carter's only complaint was that the Bengals could not find her more often.
"I wish we could've set Jaydin the ball more," Carter said. "I'm always like, 'Man, she's almost 50 percent kills. Can we get her the ball more, please?'"
Gracie Vohs gave Idaho State its fourth player in double figures with 10 kills while adding eight digs. Beatty finished with seven kills, five digs and a team-high six total blocks, including two solo stops.
With Nora Waddoups unavailable, Marsh took over the setting duties and delivered one of the grittiest performances of the night. Marsh finished with 37 assists, 12 digs and four kills, recording her sixth double-double of the season and moving into second on the team behind Walsh.
"I think that a lot of my teammates, I just rallied around them," Marsh said. "They had confidence in me, which made me have confidence in myself out there."
Carter was equally impressed with the way Marsh handled the responsibility.
"She was just a warrior," Carter said. "She was aggressive when she needed to be aggressive. The kid's just a battler, and she's a winner."
The performance from Marsh helped Idaho State finish with 57 kills, its fifth-highest total of the season, on 178 attack attempts, its fourth-most in a match this year.
As productive as the offense was at times, it was Idaho State's defense that carried the Bengals through the five-set battle.
Aspen Boice led ISU with 25 digs, while Walsh added 17 and Wilson and Marsh each collected 12. Jenna Werbelow added 11, giving the Bengals five players in double figures.
Idaho State finished with 92 digs, its second-highest total in a match this season and its most in Big Sky Conference play.
"She dug the balls that were near and at her, and she made a couple highlight digs that were like, 'Oh my gosh, how did we get that one?'" Carter said of Boice.
Wilson said Boice entered the match with specific goals after Idaho State's previous outing against Weber State.
"She just turned around after Weber, and she put a goal in front of herself, and she met that goal," Wilson said. "She was just out there, and she had that fire lit under herself for what she wanted to get done."
Boice also led the Bengals from the service line with three aces, half of Idaho State's six for the match.
Northern Colorado tested that defense more than nearly any opponent Idaho State has seen this season.
The Bears finished with 65 kills, tying the most allowed by the Bengals in a single match this season, while their 212 attack attempts were the most by any Idaho State opponent this year. Northern Colorado's 65 kills were also its third-highest total of the season.
But Idaho State made UNC work for those points.
The Bengals forced Northern Colorado into 30 attack errors, the fourth-most committed by an Idaho State opponent this season and UNC's highest single-match total of the year. The Bears finished at just .165 hitting despite their 65 kills.
"Northern Colorado is the most offensive team in our league for sure, based on their stats," Carter said. "They were hitting over .300 on the conference season, so to hold them to .165, we gotta be really proud of that."
Northern Colorado also finished with 55 assists, its third-highest single-match total of the season and tied for the third-most recorded against Idaho State this year, while its seven service aces also tied for the third-most against the Bengals this season.
The Bears' 81 digs were their highest total in a match this season and the third-most by an Idaho State opponent this year. UNC also committed 15 service errors, the most the Bengals have seen from an opponent in a match this season.
Idaho State had plenty of errors of its own to overcome.
The Bengals' 10 service errors tied their season high, while their seven reception errors tied for the third-most they have committed in a match this season. Despite those mistakes, ISU managed to make the plays it needed when the match reached its most important moments.
Northern Colorado's Alayna Tessena led all players with 22 kills and added 16 digs, while Summer Snead finished with 15 kills on .278 hitting. Maddie Rink added 11 kills, and Nerea Alvarez-Jorge finished with 51 assists.
For Idaho State, the win was less about playing a perfect match and more about refusing to let the imperfect moments decide it.
"Our girls did the things they needed to do to keep themselves having a chance to win sets," Carter said. "And then when it came down to making the plays at the end, they made the plays."
Bengal Bites
- Idaho State rallied from a 10-6 deficit in the fifth set to win 17-15.
- The match featured 27 ties and 11 lead changes, including six ties and three lead changes in the fifth.
- Annelie Wilson recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 12 digs.
- Mia Walsh collected her team-leading seventh double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs.
- Kadence Marsh moved into second on the team with her sixth double-double, finishing with 37 assists and 12 digs.
- Jaydin Watts recorded 11 kills with one error on 23 attempts, hitting .435.
- Isabella Beatty added seven kills, five digs and six total blocks (Career high in digs)
- Idaho State's 92 digs were its second-most in a match this season and its most in Big Sky play.
- Northern Colorado's 65 kills tied the most allowed by Idaho State this season and were UNC's third-highest single-match total of the year.
- Northern Colorado's 81 digs were its season high and the third-most by an Idaho State opponent this year.
- Idaho State held the Bears to .165 hitting, including .077 in the second set and .026 in the third.
Up Next
Following three matches in just six days, Idaho State earns a much needed rest, having the next week off before continuing Big Sky Conference play at home against the Montana Grizzlies on Thursday, October 22nd at 7 P.M. inside Reed Gym.
