MOSCOW, Idaho—Idaho's five match skid came to an end Thursday night, upsetting interstate rival Idaho State, 3-1. The come-from-behind win ended Idaho State's seven-match winning streak, keeping Idaho's Big Sky Tournament hopes alive.

Idaho (8-15, 3-8 BSC) was led by a pair of sophomores. Kaela Straw and Sarah Sharp provided a bulk of the Vandal offense. Sharp totaled a match-high 17 kills, surpassing 500 career kills on the night. Straw provided the early spark with 10 kills in the first two sets, ending the match with 15 total.

Idaho State (12-12, 7-4 BSC) opened the match with a 25-16 win in the first. The Vandals held tough throughout the set, despite the nine-point differential on the stat sheet. ISU battled back in the set, after trailing early on. Both sides traded points, tying the match back and forth. A 4-1 run for ISU, broke a 9-9 tie, helping the Bengals to an 11-9 advantage. Idaho cut the lead to 16-14. Two late 4-0 runs helped clinch the opener for ISU, 25-16.

"We knew that we worked so hard in that first game," Sharp explained. "We should have won that. It kind of just put a fire in our belly to get the next one. In a way it was kind of like a blessing. We did not let up. We knew we had to win."

The Silver and Gold recorded a .400 hitting percentage in the second. The team fought early, using a 3-0 run to gain a 6-5 lead. Both sides played evenly, having six ties midway through the frame. An ace from Sharp followed a block from Haylee Mathis and Torrin Crawford, handing Idaho a 14-11 lead. Two quick points off a Sharp kill and an ISU error pushed Idaho ahead, 20-16. A Becca Mau won the set, 25-21, tying up the match at the break.

"Our goal was to come out and win game one," head coach Debbie Buchanan noted. "To go into the break at 1-1 put us in a better position. I think it gave the girls a little more confidence. Offensively, if we are able to isolate and do the things we did tonight we can do it against any team."

The Vandals saw continued success out of the break. Sharp totaled a .429 attack percentage in the set, totaling seven kills. Mathis had her best frame of the night, handing out nine of her 30 assists. Idaho used streaks of 4-0 and 5-0 to gain a 14-11 advantage. Idaho State fought back with a 5-0 run of its own to regain a 17-15 lead. The Bengals would extend the lead to 21-17, before a DeVonne Ryter sparked a quick two points for Idaho. The Vandals would tie and then take a 24-23 lead. ISU fought off the first set point, but two straight kills from Sharp pushed Idaho over the top, 26-24.

The Idaho offense did not let up in the final set, hitting a match-high .478. A kill from Ryter knotted the set up and an ace from Mathis put Idaho in front, 7-6. The Vandals ran off another 3-0 run, triggered by a kill from Mau to take a 16-14 lead. A second run pushed the lead to four, 19-15. Kills from Straw and Sharp helped the Vandals put the set out of reach with a 5-0 run, extending the lead to 24-17. Sharp recorded the nights' final kill, handing Idaho the 25-18 win.

"This win was huge for us," Buchanan added. "We have this [ability] in us. We have been talking about it with the girls. We have so much potential. It is just can we finish? Can we put teams away? I definitely thought we did that tonight."

Mathis ended the match with her seventh double-double of the season. She totaled 12 digs to go with her 30 assists. Terra Varney led Idaho with a match-high 22 digs. Ryter and Sharp each played a part in five blocks.

The Vandals out-hit Idaho State, .247 to .187 percent. Idaho recorded 10 team blocks to the Bengals' eight. Idaho also tallied three more digs on the night, 65-62.

Idaho has a quick turnaround, making the trip up to Eastern Washington on Friday. The Eagles defeated Weber State on Thursday, 3-2.

Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho volleyball by following the team on twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.