OGDEN, Utah—Idaho improved to 6-3 in the Big Sky with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21 win over Weber State on Thursday. Sophomore Becca Mau provided the bulk of the offense with 19 kills, matching her career-high. The win marks Idaho's fifth in a row, its best mark since 2013.
Freshman DeVonne Ryter posted outstanding offensive numbers. She totaled 10 kills on 10 swings, for a perfect night on the attack. Nine of her 10 kills came in the final two sets of play, helping Idaho solidify the win.
Senior Tineke Bierma was one of three Vandals with five kills on the night. Katelyn Peterson and Kaela Straw rounded out the group. Freshman Laine Waters totaled four kills and a team-high six blocks. Meredith Coba led the team with 30 assists.
“Becca did a great job using the block and making some shots,” head coach Debbie Buchanan explained. “The real difference in the match was our ability to get our middles involved. They finally got going in the third set with nine kills. That opened up our outside a bit more, allowing some gaps in Weber State's defense.”
Weber State (5-15, 1-8) totaled 53 kills to the Vandals' 51. The Wildcats also outblocked Idaho 14-11 and totaled seven aces. The Vandal defense forced the opposition into 33 attack errors, second most by an opponent this season. Idaho outhit WSU, .263-.148.
“I thought we did a good job from the service line tonight,” Buchanan noted. “We caught them out of system and really forced them into errors at key times.”
A 5-0 run gave Idaho a 9-4 start to open the match in the first. The Cats battled back with a 7-0 run to take the lead at 10-9. Idaho tied the match at 11 following a kill from Sarah Sharp and a WSU error. Weber State cut the Idaho lead to 17-13 with a 3-0 run. The Vandals answered with a 7-0 streak, featuring kills from Peterson and Bierma. Mau's fifth kill of the frame capped a 4-2 run to take the opening set, 25-21.
Idaho and Weber State battled back and forth in the second set. Each team used early runs to its advantage. A quick 3-1 run for the Wildcats opened up a 14-11 lead for the home team. Idaho cut the lead to two points, before WSU ran off the next three points to go back up by four at 17-13. The Vandals got to within two points four separate times down the stretch, the last at 24-22. Andrea Hale put an end to the Idaho comeback, tying the match with the 25-22 set-win.
The Silver and Gold opened the third set with the first two points and never looked back. The Vandals jumped out to a 13-8 lead, using seven Wildcat errors. Weber State got to within one at 14-13, when Idaho used a 4-1 run to get to a more comfortable 18-14 lead. A 5-1 run closed off by a Ryter kill ended the set, 25-18, in favor of Idaho.
WSU recorded its best set of the night in the final game. The Wildcats totaled 17 kills and a .324 hitting percentage. Idaho bested Weber State in the frame with 18 kills and a .517 attack percentage on its way to the 25-21 clincher. Mau, Straw and Ryter combined for 15 of Idaho's kills, including eight of the final nine. Peterson provided the winner, closing the set out at 25-21.
“This [the win] is huge, especially for our confidence,” Buchanan said. “For us to be able to make some adjustments in that match and have our best game as our last was huge.”
Idaho finishes its current four-game road trip at Idaho State on Saturday (6 p.m. PT). The Bengals swept Eastern Washington on Thursday to improve to 8-1 in the Big Sky.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho volleyball on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
