MOSOCW, Idaho—For the second consecutive match it took five sets to decide the outcome. Idaho used a late 10-0 run in the second set to overcome a sluggish start against Sacramento State on Saturday night. The Vandals completed the come from behind win, 14-25, 26-24, 25-20, 27-29, 15-9, finishing a perfect 2-0 on the home stand.
Idaho (6-12, 3-3) had four players hit double figures on Saturday, led by senior Katelyn Peterson and her season-high 18 kills. Tineke Bierma and Sarah Sharp both totaled 15 kills apiece. Sharp finished with a match-high .560 hitting percentage over her three sets. Redshirt freshman Kaela Straw recorded 11 kills in the win. Laruen Kissell led the match with 23 kills for the Hornets.
“That is the beauty of volleyball. You get five sets,” head coach Debbie Buchanan said following the win. “We did not come out in game one and play well. As we got to the middle of the first game we started doing some things and getting into a rhythm. We were able to carry that over and kept pushing.”
Idaho opened with a lackluster 25-14 performance in the first set. Sacramento State hit .452 in the opener with 16 kills to Idaho's .222 percent and nine kills.
Sacramento State (16-5, 3-3) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second, continuing its hot play. A Straw kill got Idaho to within three at 9-6. A 5-0 run for the Hornets pushed their lead to 22-13. A quick 3-0 run for Idaho got the Vandals back to within six points. An ace from Sac. State's Kennedy Kurtz put the Hornets in control at 24-16. A Peterson kill fended off the first set-point. Back-to-back blocks from Bierma and Laine Waters kept Idaho's hopes alive. Peterson and Bierma totaled two more kills on Sac. State's fourth and fifth attempt at set-point. Waters and Bierma teamed for three more blocks down the stretch to complete the 10-0 run, giving Idaho the set at 26-24.
The Vandals took the third set by five points, 25-20. Sharp entered the rotation and totaled six kills and a .417 hitting percentage in the set. Bierma's fourth kill of the set broke a tie at 19. Peterson, Natalie Jensen and Sharp each tallied points, helping the Vandals to a 6-1 run to end the set.
“We had great numbers tonight,” Buchanan added. “This is where our team is going to keep building. If we can keep gaining confidence and dealing with adversity it is going to be good the rest of the way.”
The Hornets would not fade easily, opening the fourth set on 9-4 run. A Sharp kill got Idaho rolling with a 4-0 run, closing with a Meredith Coba ace to tie the set at nine. Sacramento State answered back with a 4-0 streak, forcing Idaho into a timeout down 14-11. The Hornets held a 22-19 lead late in the match, before Idaho regained the lead at 23-22. The two sides traded set-point opportunities, but it was not until and Idaho error followed by a Sloan Lovett kill that the frame was decided, 29-27, in favor of Sacramento State.
Idaho put its foot on the ignition to the start the fifth set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. The Hornets were able to cut the advantage to four at 10-6. A Sharp kill matched with an ace from Becca Mau put Idaho back up by six, 12-6. Idaho took a timeout with the 13-9 lead, following a quick 2-0 spurt from Sac. State. Idaho recorded the final two points to close the night.
“We had each other's back the whole time,” Sharp noted. “Not once did we give up on each other. Not once did we hang our head.”
Idaho finished the match with a .321 attack percentage, holding Sacramento State to .263. The Hornets totaled 179 total swings. Idaho countered with 67 digs, including 18 from Jenna Ellis. Coba and Jensen accounted for 54 of Idaho's 66 assists. Bierma recorded a career-high nine blocks.
The Vandals return to the road next week, making their way through Montana. The team opens with the Grizzlies at 6 p.m. on Oct. 15 and then head to Montana State on Oct. 17.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho volleyball on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
