MISSOULA, Mont.—The University of Idaho volleyball team enjoyed a post-Halloween treat on Saturday night, defeating the Montana Grizzlies 25-10, 25-21, 25-16. The Vandals boasted a .365 team-hitting percentage, fueling their second sweep of the Griz this season.
The win moves Idaho to 9-3 in the Big Sky and 13-11 overall. Montana drops to 6-6 in conference play and 6-18 on the season.
The Vandals saw four different players record attack percentages of .400 or better on Saturday. Senior
Jessica Hastriter totaled a match-high 11 kills and a .417 percentage.
Alyssa Schultz was the top-Vandal percentage wise on the night, finishing with a .462. She ended the night with seven kills, pushing her over 850 in her career.
Ali Forde totaled nine kills and a .444 percentage, while
Stephanie Hagins slammed eight balls for an even .400 percentage.
"I thought we did a great job of staying mentally focused tonight, " head coach
Debbie Buchanan said. "We were ready to go from the start. Offensively, we were able to mix in some things that we have been working on. I was super happy with the way we played tonight and glad to get the win in three."
The Vandals used a .357 attacking performance to dominate the play of the first set. Down 4-1 early in the set the Vandals used a 12-1 run to stake claim to a 13-5 lead. Montana could not regain any of its early offensive momentum as they finished the set hitting below .000 with nine errors. Forde established her presence in the match early with four kills in the opening frame, including three in Idaho's set-clinching 8-0 run.
The Grizzlies came out swinging in the second set, outhitting the Vandals .303-to-.289. Montana recorded six of the first 10 points in the set, before a Schultz kill initiated a 5-0 run to give Idaho the 9-6 lead. The Vandals got out to a 17-11 advantage, forcing the Grizzlies to take a timeout midway through the set. Montana clawed back into the set with two separate 3-0 runs with the latter of the runs giving them a 21-20 lead. The Vandals finished the match with a 5-0 run featuring two Hagins kills. Forde and
Katelyn Peterson combined for the knockout blows.
Meredith Coba assisted on 14 kills in the final set, helping Idaho to build 14-9 lead. She finished 37 total assists on the night also netting two kills. A late 3-0 run by the Vandals improved their lead to 22-14, deflating any hopes of a Montana comeback. Hastriter recorded Idaho's final three kills as they took the set 25-16.
"I thought we played fairly steady," Buchanan added. "We got five aces and finished with eight team blocks. Overall I thought we just played a nice steady game. Our ball control could have been a little better at times but I think for the most part they [Montana] had to work a lot harder than we did to earn points."
The Vandals wrap up their road schedule Thursday, Nov. 6 at Southern Utah. Idaho then closes the season with three straight home matches, starting with Eastern Washington on Nov. 8.
