MOSCOW, Idaho – The 2015 senior class closed out the home schedule in style, with a four-set win (25-12, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21) over Eastern Washington. With the win, the Vandals take over sole possession of first place in the Big Sky Conference North Division.

“It is awesome, but we're not done yet,” said head coach Debbie Buchanan.  “I am really proud of the team. I thought, overall, we did a lot of really good things, especially on the serve and pass side. Everyone contributed.”

The Vandals (13-13, 10-4) used a balanced attack to earn their 10th conference win of the season.  Fittingly, the seniors led the way. 

Tineke Bierma led the Vandals with 11 kills on the day, while Meredith Coba finished with 26 assists, the most on the squad. Jenna Ellis recorded 14 digs and became the first Vandal ever to surpass 1,500 career digs. Katelyn Peterson had a solid night across the board, finishing with nine kills, 11 digs and four total blocks.

Eastern Washington (14-11, 9-5) falls to second in the North Division with the loss. The teams have met before, with Idaho falling to EWU in three sets earlier in conference play.

“We talked about it before the match, it was nine matches ago that we played Eastern,” Buchanan said. “We're a very different team now than what we were then. I think the team has been getting better every week, especially our younger players as they get more and more experience. I knew we were going to challenge them tonight and now we just have to keep pushing.”

The Vandals took the first set with ease, 25-12. Eastern Washington took an 8-5 lead early but Idaho responded well, closing the set on a 20-4 run, including the final six points. The Eagles failed to hold serve at any point during the run. Bierma led the way in the first set with four kills. Sami Parris and Coba each had five assists.

The second set started out just as the first did, with neither team managing to keep the serve for long. The Eagles then went on a quick, 6-2 run to take a 9-7 lead, but that proved to be their largest of the set as the Vandals went on a 9-3 run of their own to take command. Idaho closed the set well, earning the 25-21 win.

The Silver and Gold scored first to start the third set, but it was the only lead the Vandals would hold. EWU claimed the lead at 2-1 and never looked back, taking the set 25-20. The Vandals stayed close to keep the pressure on the Eagles, despite trailing for the remainder of the set.

The teams traded points to get the fourth set started, leaving the score tied at seven early on. The Vandals then went on a 9-4 run to build a lead they would not relinquish, going on to win the set 25-21.

The match also served as senior night, as the Vandals honored their class of four seniors.

“We feel really great,” said Ellis. “We worked really hard for this moment. To come out on top of our division was our number one goal at the beginning of the season. We're just really proud of everyone because we had to pull together as a team to make it happen.”

“Every time you lose a senior class it's hard,” Buchanan said.  “They've been a huge part of what we've done, they've been a huge part of our recruiting and they really helped define our program. Tonight was a special night for them. It's hard to see these kids go, but I'm excited to watch what they accomplish in the future. They're always going to be Vandals!”

The Vandals close out the regular season next week at North Dakota on Thursday and at Northern Colorado on Saturday. Check back with GoVandals.com as the matches get closer for more information.