POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State volleyball delivered a statement victory Thursday night, taking down top ranked Utah Tech 3-1 (25-16, 18-25, 25-20, 29-27) inside Reed Gym. The Trailblazers entered the matchup riding a 16-match winning streak, the longest in the nation, and had yet to lose in Big Sky Conference play this season at 12-0. The Bengals handed Utah Tech its first conference loss of the year and snapped its winning streak.
Idaho State improves to 16-9 overall and 8-5 in Big Sky play, while Utah Tech falls to 19-4 and 12-1 in conference action.
The Bengals came out firing in the opening set, hitting an impressive .516 with 17 kills and just one attack error. Idaho State built an early advantage and maintained control throughout the set, closing it out with a 25-16 win.
Utah Tech responded in the second set, taking a 25-18 decision to even the match at one set apiece. The Trailblazers finished the frame with 12 kills, while Idaho State also recorded 12 but committed nine attack errors.
Idaho State regained control in the third set, using a balanced offensive attack to pull ahead. The Bengals recorded 15 kills and hit .231 in the frame, compared to Utah Tech's 12 kills and .125 hitting percentage. Idaho State held on for a 25-20 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set provided a thrilling finish as the two teams battled through 13 ties and five lead changes. Neither side was able to pull away, but the Bengals came through in the closing points to secure a 29-27 set victory and the 3-1 match win.
Following the victory, head coach Sean Carter emphasized how important the performance was for a team looking to build momentum after a difficult stretch.
"We really needed something like that," Carter said. "To have this kind of performance, to be like, 'Hey, guys, you can do this,' hopefully springboards us to get a little momentum going into our conference tournament."
Walsh paced the Bengals with a match-high 21 kills, hitting .367 while adding 10 digs. The true freshman's performance earned high praise from Carter, who compared her impact to one of basketball's biggest stars.
"Mia was Michael Jordan tonight," Carter said. "She was incredible. Twenty-one kills on 49 attempts as a true freshman. An incredible match from her showing what she can do."
Watts was equally impressive, finishing with 16 kills on 27 attempts for a .556 hitting percentage. She also contributed five total blocks and 19 points. Gracie Vohs added 13 kills, while Annelie Wilson recorded nine kills and 15 digs. Ashlyn Smith contributed seven kills without committing an attack error, hitting .368.
Idaho State's defensive effort was led by Aspen Boice, who collected 21 digs and added 10 assists for her first career double-double. Nora Waddoups added 20 digs while distributing 29 assists, and Kadence Marsh chipped in 23 assists and seven digs. Four Bengals finished with double-digit digs as Idaho State totaled 84 as a team.
Carter highlighted Boice's all-around performance, particularly her impact from the service line.
"Aspen did a great job," Carter said. "Her serving, to me, was a game changer tonight. The fact that we were scoring points with her from the service line was awesome."
The Bengals finished the night with 67 kills and a .256 hitting percentage, compared to Utah Tech's 52 kills and .196 mark. Idaho State also held the advantage in assists, 63-47, and digs, 84-78.
Up Next
Idaho State continues Big Sky Conference play, hosting Southern Utah on Saturday at noon in Reed Gym.
