Box Score OGDEN, Utah—An injury plagued Vandals team suffered their first loss to Weber State since 1995 on Thursday. The Wildcats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, forcing Idaho to play from behind. WSU closed the match in four sets, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23, handing the Vandals their 12th loss of the season.
The Vandals entered Thursday with a list of injuries. The team was short on numbers in practice the entire week, leading up to the match. Junior
Torrin Crawford was forced to watch from the bench, unable to go at match-time.
"We did not know until right before warmups if we were going to have Torri or not," head coach
Debbie Buchanan explained. "We had to go to an alternate lineup. Obviously, it is different. It was the first time we have gone with that lineup. It forced others to have to step up. Kaela [Straw] had a great night, which was nice since she had not jumped since Saturday. I thought we were right in the mix. It is just a matter of finishing the game."
Kaela Straw led Idaho with a career-high 21 kills. She hit .400 on the attack, tied for the team-high with
DeVonne Ryter. Ryter ended the night with a season-high nine kills to go with her team-best seven blocks.
Becca Mau and
Sarah Sharp rounded out Idaho's top offensive contributors with eight and seven kills, respectively.
Weber State (13-3, 4-3 BSC) gained early control of the match. A 7-1 run broke a 14-14 tie, moving WSU in front 21-15 in the opening set. Idaho got back to within three, 24-21, before hitting into the Weber State block to end the set. The two teams swapped runs in the second set. With the set knotted at 12 WSU struck first, using a 3-0 run to gain a cushion. A Weber State error cut the run, but the Wildcats came right back with a 5-0 run, gaining a 20-13 lead. Idaho recovered out of the timeout with a 5-0 run of its own, cutting the lead back to three at 20-18. The Wildcats gained set point at 24-20. A Straw kill and a block from Mau extended the set. An Idaho attack error closed the set for WSU, 25-22
Idaho (7-12, 2-5 BSC) was to forced play with its back against the wall in the third. WSU started the set with a 5-3 advantage. Two kills from Sharp helped Idaho go up, 6-5. Idaho got hot midway through the set, scoring six consecutive points to gain at 15-10 lead. WSU nullified the Vandal run with a 6-0 streak of its own, to regain the lead, 16-15. Kills from Sharp and Mau combined with a
Tara Eaton ace put Idaho back in control, 20-17. Idaho took the set off a kill from Ryter, 25-20, to continue the match.
"The team is still competing," Buchanan added. "The bottom line is we need to keep pushing. It is hard when you are not healthy and have not been able to practice with a full squad. In the game of volleyball you need those reps. You need a trust with your setters. When we do not have three of our hitters practicing all week it makes it hard to get into a rhythm."
Idaho played the fourth set tight. The Vandals used a 5-0 run to get a 14-12 advantage. WSU once again answered Idaho's run, scoring its own 5-0 streak to regain the lead at 16-15. The two sides went back and forth with Idaho tying the set late at 20, 21 and 23. Back-to-back Weber State kills closed the night for the Wildcats, 25-23.
Megan Thompson and Andrea Hale led Weber State with 14 kills apiece. Amanda Varley added 13 kills. WSU totaled 14 team blocks. Thompson registered eight total blocks, four of the solo variety.
Idaho has a quick return set for Saturday. The Vandals will be back in Memorial Gym against Eastern Washington. EWU fell on Thursday against Idaho State, 3-0. Admission is free with Saturday's Idaho vs. New Mexico State football ticket.
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho volleyball by following the team on twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
