MOSCOW, Idaho—Idaho opened the Big Sky Conference season with a bang on Thursday, defeating the 2014 conference champion Northern Colorado Bears. Tineke Bierma's 12 kills matched a career-high for the senior, helping lead the Vandals to the 3-1 win.
Idaho (4-9, 1-0) only hit .075 in the first set as UNC took the opener 25-20. The Vandals recovered in the second with a strong 13-kill showing, outhitting the Bears, .289-.024. The Vandals gained control of the set, that featured 11 total ties and three lead changes, off a Mau kill that tied the match at 13. Sarah Sharp trigged a 9-2 run, that set Idaho up with the lead at 23-16. Two UNC errors in the final three points gave Idaho the set, 25-18. Bierma swung .500 percent with four kills, while Becca Mau added 3 in the stanza.
“I think we were just a bit more comfortable [from set one to two],” Bierma explained. “We only played in our tournament here at home. We were a bit tight in the beginning in front of the home-crowd. Once we got the first out of the way, we were able to come out stronger.”
Northern Colorado (4-10, 0-1) opened the third set with an early 6-4 push. The set bounced back and forth before a 3-1 Idaho run forced the Bears into a timeout, trailing 17-15. Emily O'Neil cut the Idaho lead to one out of the timeout, but three consecutive UNC errors turned into a 6-0 streak for the Vandals. The Bears errors continued into set-point, giving Idaho the 25-18 decision.
The Vandals pushed the throttle to start the fourth. Idaho opened with a 9-3 advantage, hitting a blazing .750 percent. The Bears slowly gained ground and took the lead 15-14 off a 4-0 run. Idaho regained the lead at 17-16, before a two-point swing shifted the lead back to UNC, 18-17. UNC was the first to 20 when Idaho took at time out trailing by two. Mau and Katelyn Peterson notched the set at 20, resulting in the first of five ties over the final points. The first of three consecutive UNC errors tied the match at 24, with the final two handing Idaho the set and 3-1 win.
“Our goal for the whole night was to make sure we kept our errors to a minimum,” head coach Debbie Buchanan said. “We did not want to give them any easy plays. We gave them a little, but I thought we were able to get under control and get a feeling for what they [UNC] wanted to do.”
Senior Meredith Coba recorded an Idaho-best 20 assists. She handed out her 2,500th assist in the second set, becoming the seventh Vandal to reach the milestone. Mau finished with 10 kills and matched Bierma with a .333 hitting percentage. Jenna Ellis led Idaho with 14 digs, while Torrin Crawford added a match-high six blocks.
UNC outhit Idaho, 57-46 on the night. Kendra Cunningham recorded a match-high 15 kills. Idaho bested the Bears in blocks, 11-2, while UNC had the upper hand in digs, 73-58.
“It is going to be one match a night,' Buchanan added. “It can be anybody's match, but you have to focus on what you are doing. Stick to the game plan. Hopefully we can do that on Saturday against North Dakota.”
Idaho continues at home on Saturday hosting North Dakota. UND enters the match following a 3-0 loss at Eastern Washington on Thursday. The match is free to anyone who shows a ticket to Saturday's Idaho football game.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho volleyball on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
