CHENEY, Wash. – Idaho State volleyball completed a perfect opening weekend of Big Sky Conference play Saturday afternoon, sweeping Eastern Washington 25-20, 25-17, 25-12 inside Reese Court.

The Bengals improved to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in Big Sky play, following Thursday's sweep at Idaho with another straight-set victory on the road. The win also continued Idaho State's recent success in the series, as the Bengals have now won five of their last six meetings against Eastern Washington.

Unlike Thursday's offensive showing in Moscow, Idaho State did not need a dominant attack to take care of business Saturday. Instead, the Bengals leaned on their serve and defense, holding Eastern Washington to just .019 hitting and forcing 24 attacking errors. ISU also recorded five service aces and steadily tightened its grip on the match as the afternoon went along. 

"Our serving was great and our team defense was as good as it has been all year," Head Coach Sean Carter said. "Kills were a struggle to come by for most of the match, but our ability to keep Eastern from scoring and our service pressure really made it difficult for them to be in system today."

That defensive effort was needed early, as the opening set proved to be the closest of the afternoon. Idaho State and Eastern Washington battled through 10 ties and five lead changes, with neither side able to create much separation.

The Bengals were held to .111 hitting in the frame, but their defense kept the Eagles from taking advantage. Idaho State forced 10 Eastern Washington attacking errors and eventually created the separation it needed late, pulling away for a 25-20 victory.

From there, the Bengals began to settle in.

Idaho State's offense improved to .229 hitting in the second, putting down 13 kills, while its defense continued to make life difficult for the Eagles. Eastern Washington managed just seven kills against seven errors, finishing the frame with a .000 hitting percentage.

After another competitive start, Idaho State pulled away down the stretch for a 25-17 win, taking a commanding 2-0 advantage. 

With the sweep in sight, the Bengals saved their best volleyball for last.

Idaho State never trailed in the third set, recording 14 kills with only two errors on 32 swings for a match-best .375 hitting percentage. On the other side of the net, the Bengal defense continued to suffocate the Eagles, limiting Eastern Washington to five kills against seven attacking errors and a -.065 hitting percentage.

The Bengals rolled to a 25-12 victory, finishing the match with their most decisive set of the afternoon and completing their second sweep in three days.

Jaydin Watts once again provided the steady presence Idaho State needed offensively. The senior led the Bengals with nine kills on .348 hitting, committing just one attacking error on 23 swings. Watts also added three total blocks, including a solo stuff, to finish with a team-high 11 points.

Saturday marked the sixth match this season that Watts has led Idaho State in kills, continuing a strong start to her senior campaign. 

The Bengals received production throughout the lineup behind Watts. Abby McClain finished with seven kills and three block assists, while Mia Walsh added six kills and 10 digs.

Gracie Vohs followed her team-leading performance at Idaho with another clean offensive outing, putting down five kills without an attacking error. Annelie Wilson added five kills on .286 hitting, six digs, an ace and a solo block, while Bella Beatty finished with four kills and just one error on nine attacks to hit .333. 

Setters Nora Waddoups and Kadence Marsh continued to share the workload in directing the Bengal attack. Waddoups finished with a team-high 18 assists and six digs, while Marsh added 12 assists and seven digs.

But on a day when kills were harder to come by, Idaho State's defense provided the foundation.

Aspen Boice continued to anchor the Bengal back row, collecting a match-high 18 digs. Saturday marked the ninth time through Idaho State's first 14 matches that Boice has led the Bengals in digs, as she continued to be one of the constants behind ISU's defensive improvement. Boice also added two service aces and two assists.

The Bengals finished with 52 digs and six total blocks, but the impact of their defense stretched beyond the raw numbers. Idaho State's pressure consistently forced Eastern Washington out of system, and the Eagles were held below .100 hitting in all three sets.

Eastern Washington hit .087 in the opener, fell to .000 in the second and finished at -.065 in the third. At the same time, Idaho State's offense steadily improved, going from .111 to .229 before closing the afternoon at .375.

The result was another convincing road victory and a perfect opening weekend of conference play. Idaho State did not drop a set across its trips to Idaho and Eastern Washington, going 6-0 in sets while improving to 10-4 overall.

Two matches into Big Sky play, the Bengals have shown they can win in different ways. The offense helped carry ISU through stretches Thursday night in Moscow. Two days later in Cheney, the serve and defense took center stage as the Bengals continued to get stronger throughout the match.

Bengal Bites

• Idaho State improves to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in Big Sky play.
• The Bengals opened conference play with back-to-back road sweeps over Idaho and Eastern Washington.
• ISU has now won five of its last six meetings against Eastern Washington.
• Jaydin Watts led Idaho State with nine kills on .348 hitting, the sixth match this season she has led the Bengals in kills.
• Aspen Boice recorded a match-high 18 digs, marking the ninth match this season she has led ISU in digs.
• Idaho State held Eastern Washington to .019 hitting for the match.
• Idaho State hit a match-best .375 in the third set, recording 14 kills against only two errors.

Up Next

The Bengals return home following a perfect opening weekend of Big Sky Conference play to host reigning Big Sky regular season champs, Northern Arizona, in the first matchup between the two programs since Idaho State would knock off top seeded NAU in the opening round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament back in November of 2025, on Thursday, October 1st, followed by Portland State on Saturday, October 3rd.

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