BOZEMAN, Mont.—After a brief pit stop at home the Vandal volleyball team returns to the road to start the Big Sky season. Idaho will take on Montana State and Montana in the conferences' opening weekend.

Idaho (5-7) is undefeated against the Montana schools, going a combined 13-0 since 2000. Last year Idaho swept Montana State in both matches. The Vandals defeated Montana, 3-1 and 3-2 in its two meetings. Idaho and Montana State are set for a 6 p.m. PT start on Thursday. The Vandals and Grizzlies will get underway at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday. 

Quotable: "It is a new season [for us]. Preseason is over and it is all down to conference as our team continues to grow we are going to keep getting better. This will be good for us to start on the road, before we are at home next week. We just have to keep working on us being able to control our side of the game." - Head coach Debbie Buchanan

Milestone Watch: Terra Varney needs 52 digs to tie Mandy Becker (2001-04) for 4th in school history with 1,184 career digs. Coach Buchanan is one win shy of 250 for her career.

Conference Start: The Vandals are 8-8 in conference openers under Coach Buchanan.

Conference Rankings: Idaho ranks Fifth in the conference with a 2.01 hitting percentage. The Vandals are sixth in the Big Sky with 94.5 total blocks.

Closing Out: Idaho holds a 3-0 record when leading 5-1 after three sets this season.

Youth Movement: Idaho boasts a young roster in 2016 with 12 underclassmen (seven freshmen, five sophomores).

Preseason Poll: Idaho was picked to finish sixth in the conference by the Big Sky coaches.

Postseason Streak: 2015 marked Idaho's 11th consecutive conference postseason tournament. The Vandals won Big Sky championships in their final four seasons in the Big Sky, 1992-95, before returning to the conference in 2014.

About Montana State: The Bobcats have lost six in-a-row. Last week MSU played No. 1 Nebraska, Creighton (RV) and Gonzaga at teh Ameritas Players Challenge in Lincoln Nebraska. Natalie Passeck was named to the All-Tournament team. She totaled 12 kills and 17 digs for the Bobcats. Passeck leads MSU this season with 2.50 kills per set. Setter Katie Rutecki is averaging 4.94 assists, giving her 158 total assists.

About Montana: The Grizzlies are 3-7 at the start of the conference season. Montana won two of its last three matches to close non-conference play at the Morehead State Tournament. The Griz scored a 3-0 win over Coppin State and then defeated Morehead State in five set. Cassie Laramee and LIa Gaoao were both selected to the All-Tournament team. Missy Huddleston is averaging a team-high 2.24 kills per set to lead Montana. 

FOLLOW: Links to the live stats and online streams are available through GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow along live on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.