MISSOULA, Mont.—Idaho, for the first time since the 1999 season, fell to the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday. Montana broke the Vandals winning streak with a 3-2 win the West Auxiliary Gym.

The Vandals struggled early on as Montana jumped on the Vandals from the start. Things looked to favor Montana but Idaho flipped the tables on the Griz. Idaho clawed and fought its way back to tie the match at 2-2. The Vandal comeback fell short in the fifth set, with Montana taking the tiebreaker 15-7.

"We did not come out to play," head coach Debbie Buchanan explained. "We did not even look like the same team at the start. Our team has to show some more urgency and fight. We are still not playing consistent. We are trying to figure out how to fight as a team and win matches like today. We put ourselves in that hole because we did not show up those first two games."

Montana (4-8, 1-1 BSC) looked like it was going to steal a quick win from Idaho after the first two sets. The Grizzlies were almost unstoppable in the first set, hitting a match-high .609 percent on the attack. The Griz were almost perfect in the first, recording 15 kills with just one attacking error.  

UM carried its momentum into the second set. Montana built a 13-8 advantage, when its errors began to pile up. Idaho ran off a 5-0 run, helped out by three UM errors to tie the set at 13. Both teams traded points, tying the set six more times to get to 19-19. The Griz strung together two points, forcing the Vandals to play from behind. Montana got its first set point at 24-21. Idaho dug in and went on a 3-0 run to tie the match at 24. An ace from Terra Varney gave Idaho its first lead of the match at 26-25. Montana bounced back and regained the lead at 28-27. A Sarah Sharp kill tied the set at 28. UM closed the set on a 2-0 run, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.

Idaho (6-8, 1-1 BSC) came out of the break a completely different team. The Vandals started the third set with a 5-1 run. A 9-0 run by the Vandals set the tone for the remainder of the set, putting Idaho in front 14-2. Idaho limited the Griz offense not allowing the home team to hit double digits on the scoreboard until 22-10. Idaho took advantage of Montana's 13 errors, using a solo block by Becca Mau to get take the set 25-12.

The Vandals got five kills from Kaela Straw in the fourth set to help lead Idaho to the 25-19 win. Straw and Mau both played roles in two separate runs, the last getting Idaho out to a 16-11 lead. Torrin Crawford put Idaho in the driver's seat, 20-15. A quick 2-0 run gave the Vandals a five-point lead, 23-17. The set closed on a UM attack error, tying the match at 2-2.

UM jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start the fifth. A Mau kill tied the set at four. The sides swapped points, leading to a 6-6 tie. The Grizzlies outlasted Idaho down the stretch, closing on a 9-1 run.  

"We switched our rotations up in that third game," Buchanan said. "We definitely came out played a lot better in game three. We were able to control most of game four. We just had too many errors in game five.

"They [the team] do not like feeling this way. The bottom line is we need to find that urgency. We need to start stepping up and competing from the beginning. Unfortunately, that can be a trait of a young team. We have to try and work that out of them in some way."

Three Vandals finished with double figure kills. Mau lead the team with a season-high 17 kills. Sharp, following up a career-night on Thursday, added 11 kills. Crawford rounded out trio with 10 kills and a team-high .381 attack percentage.

Alexis Urbach led Montana's offense with a match-high 19 kills. Ashley Watkins closed with 24 assists and 12 digs.

Idaho hosts North Dakota next Thursday, Sept. 29, opening a four-match homestand.  

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