MOSCOW, Idaho—Idaho volleyball begins a six match road swing on Friday when the team opens the North Harbour Marriott Invitational hosted by the University of Portland. Idaho will face Cal Poly (7 p.m .PT) on Friday and play a double-header against Portland (10 a.m.) and St. Francis Brooklyn (4 p.m.) on Saturday.
The Vandals (1-5) swept Seattle U last week to open the Idaho Volleyball Classic. Idaho finished the tournament 1-2, with losses to UC Irvine and Washington State. Torrin Crawford was Idaho's selection to the All-Tournament team. She totaled 11 blocks, 20 kills and a team-best .432 attack average over the tournament. Crawford set a career-high with 13 kills against UC Irvine. She currently ranks second in the Big Sky with a .356 hitting percentage.
“Last weekend was a much better weekend for us,” head coach Debbie Buchanan noted. “I think Portland is going to be another opportunity to face some good teams with similar styles. We need to keep reducing our errors, make things happened and push the points.”
Katelyn Peterson leads Idaho with 52 kills, averaging 2.60 per set this season. Jenna Ellis has a team-best 66 digs in 20 sets, while Meredith Coba leads the team with 101 assists.
Idaho and Cal Poly last met in 2012. The Mustangs hold the series advantage 15-6. Cal Poly, 5-1, is in the midst of its best start since 2001. Freshman outside hitter Adlee Van Winden collected 61 kills during last week's four matches. She earned her second consecutive Big West Conference Freshman Player of the Week honor.
Portland has put together a five-match winning streak after opening the season with a loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay. Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Troutman leads the Pilots with 84 kills this season. Junior setter Djurdjina Milovic ranks 13th in the nation with 11.57 assists per set.
St. Francis defeated Saint Peter's last week for its first win of the season. The Terriers average 10.41 kills per set this season. Saturday will be the first meeting between the Vandals and Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Terriers.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho volleyball on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
