#3 Idaho vs. #6 Idaho State

Thursday, Nov. 6/1:30 p.m. PT

Sacramento, Calif./Live Stats/Live Stream

Idaho (17-10, 12-4) earned a split of the Big Sky North Division championship and the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, finishing with its best conference record since rejoining the Big Sky in 2014. 

The Vandals will face No. 6 Idaho State in Thursday's first-round action. It will be a rematch of the Oct. 26 match at Idaho State. 

The Bengals got the upper-hand against the Vandals in the first meeting, handing Idaho its third-straight loss. ISU out-hit Idaho .426 to .336 percent. Both sides closed with 52 kills in the match. Idaho handed points over on errors, committing 24 total. 

Abby Garrity and Chloe Hirst each had 12 kills for the Bengals. Sarah Sharp and Kaela Straw led Idaho with 18 and 13 kills, respectively. 

Idaho and Idaho State have met twice in Big Sky Tournament play. Both sides have a win apiece. Idaho won the first meeting. 3-0, in 1994. Idaho State won more recently, 3-1, in 2015. 



Fast Facts
•    Idaho along with Sacramento State are the hottest teams in the conference, both on a five-match winning streak
•    The Vandals finished 12-4 in the conference season, their best record since rejoining the Big Sky in 2014
•    Ranked 24th in the NCAA with .269  hitting percentage
•    Ranked 34th in the NCAA with 2.55 blocks/set
•    Idaho has 10 sweeps on the season. The Vandals had six combined over the last two seasons
•    4-0 in 5-set matches this season. Played eight 5-set matches in 2016, the most since 2012 (10)
•    The Vandals have not lost a match after winning the first set (13-0)

POSTSEASON: 2017 marks Idaho's 13th 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 
CONSISTENCY: Idaho has finished .500 or better in conference play in 13 of the last 14 seasons, going a combined 149-95 in WAC/Big West/ Big Sky matches since 2003
NORTH SPLIT: Idaho split the Big Sky North with North Dakota. It is the second Big Sky North title for Idaho since 2014 
STREAKING: Idaho has won five consecutive matches twice this season. The last time Idaho had a  had two streaks of five or more (6) was in 2012
SWING AWAY: Idaho's .406 attack percentage against North Dakota ranks seventh in the Big Sky this season. Idaho owns six of the top-20 marks
TWO ZERO: Idaho is 13-0 on the season when leading 2-0 

ABOUT IDAHO STATE: The Bengals closed the conference season at 8-8, earning the No. 6 seed. Abby Garrity ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 3.43 kills per set. ISU boasts the top server in the conference in Haylie Keck. She has 0.39 aces per set and is also second in the conference with 4.89 digs per set. The Bengals closed the regular season with a three-set loss to Portland State. Garrity posted 11 kills to lead the team. Series Record: Tied, 20-20, Last Meeting: ISU, W, 3-0