COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—A 12-0 run to close the second set revved up the Idaho offense in the Vandals' closing victory at the Golden Eagle Invitational. Idaho swept Tennessee Tech in Saturday's sunrise rise match, 25-19, 25-17, 25-20, to close out the non-conference season.
Sophomore Becca Mau recorded the match-winner with her team-high 10th kill of the morning. Katelyn Peterson posted six kills in the first set to help the Vandals to strong start. She finished the match with seven kills and just one error, hitting .273 with 12 digs. Redshirt freshman Sarah Sharp had nine kills and hit .318 for the match. Senior Tineke Bierma hit .364 on the morning with four kills.
“I think the win was huge today,” head coach Debbie Buchanan stated. “We go into conference season with a clean slate. We will have some confidence going forward because we played well, not because the other team handed it to us. That will be good, considering we have two tough Big Sky opponents next week.”
Idaho (3-9) started fast, forcing a TTU timeout off a 7-3 start in the opener. The Vandals twice pushed the lead to seven points at 12-5 and then 15-8. The Golden Eagles would get within five at 15-10, but a 4-1 run for Idaho gave the team a firm 19-11 grasp. Two Peterson kills with a TTU error mixed in boosted Idaho to a 23-13 lead. Tech fought off five Idaho set-points, before Mau got the 25-19 winner.
The Silver and Gold broke Tennessee Tech's spirit in the latter end of the second. The Golden Eagles led the entire set when Idaho took a timeout down 17-13. A service error gave the ball back to Idaho and freshman Natalie Jensen did not give it back. Idaho tied the match on a 3-0 run, forcing a TTU timeout. Jensen gave Idaho the 18-17 lead off an ace right out of the stoppage. Tech was forced into its second timeout with Idaho's run at 8-0. Sharp and Jensen each recorded a kill to get to set point and a TTU error capped Idaho's 12-0 run, taking the set 25-17.
“Natalie has a great demeanor on the court,” Buchanan added. “She is setting the ball fast, which is all of the things we are trying to do on the court. She has been playing some great defense and that is one of the reasons we have given her as shot.”
TTU (2-11) pushed back on Idaho to begin the third. The host team opened on a 6-3 run. A Sharp kill closed a 6-1 run to take the lead at 9-7, forcing a TTU timeout. The Vandals opened up a 16-9 lead with kills from Mau and DeVonne Ryter. Tech chipped away at the lead with a 5-0 run of its own, closing the gap to 18-15. A Mau kill put Idaho over the top, 25-20, closing the match on a 3-0 run.
“For whatever reason, early this morning things were clicking,” Buchanan said. “We were much more aggressive. Our blocking was great. We saw a lot of bright spots today. Our young players played with some confidence and figured some things out today.”
Idaho's setters combined for 32 assists. Jensen led Idaho with 21, while Sami Parris added 11. Terra Varney led the team with 15 digs. Crawford and Sharp tied for a match-high with six blocks each.
The Vandals return home next week to open the Big Sky season. Idaho will take on Northern Colorado on Sept. 24 followed by North Dakota on Sept. 26.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho volleyball on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
