MOSCOW, Idaho—Idaho found itself in an uncomfortable, yet familiar position Thursday night. The Vandals homecoming was spoiled, forced to play from behind against North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks opened the match with a two-set lead on its way to a 3-1 win over Idaho at Memorial Gym.

"It felt like we were a little jittery tonight," head coach Debbie Buchanan said after the match. "I do not know if it was because it was our first time at home in front of a bigger crowd? I thought the crowd was great. I felt like we got a little jumpy, especially some of our younger kids who have not played in this environment." 

UND (10-8, 2-1 BSC) out-hit the Vandals .328 to .158 percent through the first two sets. Idaho gifted the Fight Hawks early points, committing 13 combined attacking errors through two sets. Errors plagued the Vandals the entire night, totaling 26 for the match. Idaho also struggled from the service line, committing a season-high 12 service errors.  

Idaho (6-9, 1-2 BSC) was able to maintain some success on offense. Junior Becca Mau finished the night with her first career double-double. She led all players with 17 kills, matching her season-best, to go with a career-high 11 digs. Sophomore Sarah Sharp continued to hit in double figures. She finished with 15 kills, leaving her two shy of 400 for her career. Redshirt freshman Paige Rupiper made the most of her time off the bench. She hit a season-high nine kills.

"We just have to keep working to execute," Buchanan added. "I thought that Paige came in and did a nice job off the bench. Becca did a good job playing all the way around. We need to stay in it for the whole stretch and not just one point at a time."

The Vandals started the on the comeback trail in the third set. A kill from Haylee Mathis helped Idaho string together five consecutive points, pulling ahead 8-4. UND cut the lead to 13-12 midway through the set. The Vandals jumped back out in front, 17-12 thanks to a 4-0 run capped by a Mau kill. Rupipier put the Vandals up by four, 20-16. A Chelsea Moser kill gave the serve back to UND, trailing 23-19. Idaho got to set point on a Sharp kill and won the set 25-19 on the ensuing point. 

The Vandals claimed an early 3-2 lead in the final set, but would not be able to maintain the advantage. UND deflated the Vandals hopes with an 8-0 run, gaining the 10-3 lead. Idaho chipped away at UND, cutting its advantage to five at 13-8. A 5-0 run by the Fighting Hawks put the lead at 19-9, all but sealing the deal for UND on its way to the 25-18 win.

Moser led UND with 12 kills. Faith Dooley was the only other player for North Dakota in double figures, finishing with 11 kills. Alivia Fraase led the match with 30 digs. 

Idaho closes out homecoming weekend with a Saturday match up against Northern Colorado. The Bears defeated Eastern Washington on Thursday, 3-1.
 
All Big Sky matches are streamed on WatchBigSky.com and the Big Sky app. Fans can also follow along live on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.