MOSCOW, Idaho—The Idaho Vandals gave it their all against boarder rival Washington State in Saturday night's finale of the Idaho Volleyball Classic. In the end the challengers from the Pac-12 deflected Idaho's bid at an upset victory, taking the match in three sets 25-21, 25-21, 25-23.
Sarah Sharp and Katelyn Peterson both finished with double-digit kills on the night. Sharp recorded a team-high 11 kills, while Peterson closed the match with her 11th career double-double (10 kills/10 digs). Sophomore Torrin Crawford was the Vandals representative on the All-Tournament Team. She had five kills and a .333 hitting average to go along with her five blocks. Crawford finished the tournament with 11 blocks, 20 kills and a team-best .432 attack average.
WSU's Kyra Holt was named the tournament's MVP. She had a match-high 17 kills against Idaho with a .350 hitting percentage and 16 digs. Haley MacDonald, also selected to the All-Tournament team, led the match with 41 assists for WSU.
“We are going to keep getting better,” head coach Debbie Buchanan said of her team after the loss. “There is not doubt about that. Our girls are gaining confidence and polishing some things up. I would rather be tested and know what we have to work on by getting challenged. We will keep working on the offensive part of game and I think we are going to be okay.”
Idaho outhit the Cougars in the final set, recording 14 kills and a .243 team average. The Vandals opened the third set on a quick 3-1 run, before WSU flipped the table to tie the match at seven. A 5-1 run for the Cougars put them ahead at 12-9. Crawford, Becca Mau and Tineke Bierma recorded kills in an Idaho 4-0 run that tied the match at 14. A late Washington State 8-3 run put the match at set point, 24-20. A Crawford kill and two WSU errors momentarily fended off defeat. An Idaho error out of a WSU timeout clinched the match for the visitors.
Set two was point-for-point before a 7-0 run put WSU up 19-14. A Mau kill ignited a 5-2 Idaho run, cutting sliming the margin to 21-19. WSU withstood Idaho's late push and closed the set with a Clair Martin kill.
McKenna Woodford broke a 19-19 tie in the first set as part of a 6-2 WSU run to clinch the first set.
Idaho finished with 38 team kills, trailing WSU by eight in the category. The Vandals out-blocked the Cougars 7.5-5 and was one better in the ace department (3-2).
The Vandals are on the road next week, traveling to Portland for three matches. They will take on Cal Poly on Friday, Sept. 11 to being the tournament hosted by the University of Portland. The Silver and Gold will also meet Portland and St. Francis-Brooklyn.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.
