LAS VEGAS - Passing struggles led to missed opportunities and the University of Idaho volleyball team ended its season with a four-set loss to Boise State in the opening round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Monday.
Idaho held late leads in the first two sets only to see Boise State storm back with strings on five-consecutive points in each set to steal victories. The Vandals led 22-20 in the opening set before falling 25-20 and earned set point at 24-21 in set two before the Broncos were able to score the next five and leave the Vandals in a 0-2 hole. Idaho rallied for a victory in set three and held Boise State to just .021 hitting, but the Broncos regrouped to build a large lead in set four and held on to take the match.
"Boise State played great," Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said. "They came in ready to play and definitely outplayed us. Our passing really struggled tonight and we got stuck in our rotations. They were executing their offense well and we weren't and that all comes down to passing."
Idaho ends its season with a 15-15 overall record after the 22-25, 24-26, 25-23, 21-25 loss. Boise State improved its record to 8-21 and advances to face New Mexico State Tuesday.
Senior Meredith Rice provided a bright spot for the Vandals in her final match as she totaled 37 digs to set a WAC Tournament record and a career high. Sarah Conwell led the Vandal offense with 19 kills and added 16 digs for her 16th double-double of the season. Debbie Pederson followed with 12 kills and a .545 hitting percentage, Alicia Milo tallied 11 kills, and Anna McKinney totaled 10 kills and five blocks with a .375 hitting percentage. Janelle Chow finished with 15 digs and Cassie Hamilton added 12.
As a team, Idaho tallied 58 kills and a .188 hitting percentage while Boise State hit .237 with 64 kills. The Vandals held a 91-79 advantage in digs and led blocks 10-9.
