Volleyball | 10/11/2017

 

Idaho vs. Weber State	Idaho vs. Eastern Washington
Thursday, Oct. 12/ 7 p.m. PT	Saturday, Oct. 14/7 p.m. PT
Memorial Gym/Live Stats/Live Stream	Memorial Gym/Live Stats/Live Stream

Idaho (10-7, 5-1) returns to Memorial Gym for just the second weekend of the season. The Vandals closed off their last road trip with an impressive 3-1 record, winning three straight at Northern Colorado, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. 

Idaho 3-1 against Weber State in the last four meetings. The Wildcats won last year in Ogden, 3-1. Kaela Straw led the Vandals with 21 kills in the loss. WSU totaled 14 team blocks. Idaho played well at the net as well with 11 team blocks.

The Vandals and Eagles split the series last season. Each team won on the other's home-court. Haylee Mathis led Idaho to a 3-1 win in Cheney. She recorded a triple-double 10 kills, 15 assists and 19 digs. 

Quotable: "We have only played two matches at home, which is crazy. This will be huge for our team. They need it. Anytime you can be home in your own bed, they can rest a little more. They can get caught up with their life and the academic side of things. They are not as stressed. They get to have family here in front of a home crowd."

Fast Facts
•    Ranked 22nd in the NCAA with 2.74 blocks/set
•    Ranked 57th in the NCAA with .245  hitting percentage
•    Third in the Big Sky with 1.38 aces/set
•    Idaho has seven sweeps on the season. The Vandals had six combined over the last two seasons.
•    Idaho's non-conference schedule ranked 30th in strength of schedule opponents having a .610 win percent
•    2-0 in 5-set matches this season. Played eight 5-set matches in 2016, the most since 2012 (10)
CONF. START: The Vandals are 5-1 in conference play for the first time since 1996
SWING AWAY: Idaho's 72 kills against NAU marked a season-high
DEFENSE: Idaho leads the Big Sky with a .153 opponent hitting percentage 
SWEEP: Idaho has its most 3-0 wins in a season (7) since nine in 2014 
NET SUCCESS: Idaho is averaging 2.8 blocks per set in Big Sky play, totaling 59 blocks in 21 sets
TOP GUNS: Idaho leads the Big Sky in hitting percentage with a .245 mark (57th NCAA)

About Weber State: The Wildcats have lost two in a row heading into Thursday's match. Weber State went 0-2 last week against the Montana schools. They opened with a five-set loss against Montana State. WSU closed the weekend with a 3-1 loss to Montana. The Wildcats are 18th in the NCAA with 2.78 blocks per set. Hannah Hill is fifth in the Big Sky with 1.28. She is one of the three Wildcats in the Big Sky's top-15 in the category. All-Time Series: Idaho, 47-31; Last Meeting: W, 3-1

About Eastern Washington: The Eagles split last week against Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. EWU swept the Lumberjacks to open the week last Thursday. Ashley Seiler led the team with 17 kills. She matched her efforts with 17 kills in EWU's 3-1 loss to Southern Utah. Seiler is 25th in the NCAA with 11.75 attacks per set and 46th with 4.05 kills per set. Eastern is fourth in the Big Sky with 15.93 digs per set. All-Time Series: Idaho, 23-14; Last Meeting: L, 1-3

Dig for a Cure: Saturday's match against EWU is Idaho's annual Dig for a Cure match. The team will wear pink jerseys for the match. There will be pink shirts for sale as well as a silent action to benefit the Light a Candle foundation. Fans are encouraged to wear pink. Admittance is free with proof of Saturday's football ticket. The Vandals host Appalachian State at 2 p.m. in the Kibbie Dome.  

FOLLOW: Links to the live stats can be found in the links above. All Big Sky matches are streamed online or on Pluto TV. Fans can also follow along live on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.