MOSCOW, Idaho—For the first time in four matches this season the Vandal volleyball team was victorious in five-sets. Idaho battled back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to defeat Portland State, 23-25, 26-24, 24-26, 25-17, 15-0, Thursday night.
The Vandals had three players finish with double digit kill, led by senior Tineke Bierma and her team-high 18. Senior Katelyn Peterson tied her season-high with 16 kills and added 16 digs, posting her seventh double-double of the season. Redshirt freshman Kaela Straw closed the night with 13 kills, matching her personal best.
“This win was huge for use as far as overall experience goes,” head coach Debbie Buchanan stated. “We are going to have another tough match on Saturday. We really just need to keep focusing on ourselves and not worry what other teams are doing.”
Thursday marked Idaho's first five-set win since Nov. 6, 2014. Idaho entered the match with a 0-3 record on the season when tied after the fourth set.
“We really needed this win tonight,” Peterson said following the match. “This boosts our morale and hopefully we carry this momentum into Saturday.”
Bierma and Peterson accounted for 62 percent of the Vandals' offense with 24 of Idaho's 39 kills through the third set. As a team the Vandals were held to a .160 attack percentage entering the fourth set.
Idaho (5-13, 2-3) was able to shift the momentum in the fourth set. The team hit a match-high .375 in the set, while Portland State was limited to .200 on the attack. A 3-0 run gave the Vandals a 12-8 lead. A kill from Laine Waters helped Idaho gain another 3-0 push, boosting its advantage to 16-11. A Kylie Copple swing cut Idaho's lead to four at 19-15. Idaho answered back with a 4-1 to go up 23-16. Straw's fourth and fifth kills of the set clinched it for Idaho, sending the matching to a fifth set.
“Our key was to just play steady in that fourth set,” Bierma said. “Instead of letting our emotions take control, we wanted to go for every ball and stick to what we knew.”
Portland State (5-12, 1-4) opened the fifth set with a 4-2 advantage. A quick 3-0 jolt for Idaho broke the 6-6 tie, forcing the Vikings to take a timeout down three. PSU cut the lead to 9-8 out of the timeout, making the Vandals take a timeout of their own. Idaho answered back with a Natalie Jensen kill, helping the Vandals get to an 11-8 advantage. Bierma, who started her collegiate career at Portland State, recorded two kills in the midst of an Idaho' 4-1 run to close out the match.
“Personally my emotions were super high for this match,” Bierma added. “I was amped and ready to play. I just wanted to get out there and kind of show them [Portland State] what I have got.”
The Vandals had excellent ball distribution with 62 assists on the night. Senior Meredith Coba had a match-high 31 assists. Jensen recorded a season-high 25.
Idaho outdug the Vikings, 89-77, on the defensive side of the net. Senior Jenna Ellis led the Vandals with 25 digs. Terra Varney and Becca Mau put in 13 and 10, respectively. Freshman DeVonne Ryter led the team with six blocks, matching her season-high.
The Vandals are back in Memorial Gym on Saturday, taking on the visiting Sacramento State Hornets. The Hornets lost on Thursday night at Eastern Washington, 3-1.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho volleyball on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
