FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—The Idaho Vandals improved to 5-1 in Big Sky Conference play on Saturday, holding off Northern Arizona, 3-2, in a five-set battle. It took Idaho all it had in the tank to finish the road trip with a 2-0 weekend sweep. 

"I am really proud of our team," head coach Debbie Buchanan said after the win. "We had to dig in and fight to the end. We struggled with our serving and passing at times today. I liked how we kept fighting and made the big plays all the way to the end." 

Idaho (10-7, 5-1 BSC) had four players finish with double-figure kills. Junior Kaela Straw continued to provide a consistent offensive force. She led the team with 21 kills to go with her team-high six blocks and nine digs. Junior Sarah Sharp came on strong in the later sets, finishing with a season-high 19 kills. Arizona native, DeVonne Ryter added a season-best 12 kills for the Vandals, while Torrin Crawford finished with a season-high 10 kills. 

The Vandals finished the afternoon with a season-high 72 kills. As a team, the Vandals hit .274 percent for the match, holding NAU to 63 kills and a .185 attack percentage. The Vandal blocking game remained a presence, totaling 10 team blocks.  

An 8-2 run for Idaho in the first set helped Idaho overtake NAU, gaining a 16-15 advantage. Ryter, Sharp and Crawford each recorded a kill in a 5-1 push for the Vandals to claim a 21-19 lead. Idaho closed the set with another 5-1 run. Back-to-back kills from Straw clinched the frame, 26-24, for the Vandals.

Northern Arizona (6-11, 2-4 BSC) overcame a 6-2 start from the Vandals in the second, using a 7-1 run to claim a 9-7 lead. Idaho fought back to tie the match at 16. Kaylie Jorgenson recorded two key kills late for NAU to help the Lumberjacks even the match with a 25-20 win.

The Vandals controlled play in the third set, hitting .312 percent in the frame. Idaho never gave up the lead in the set. NAU kept the set close early, tying the set at 10. A 4-1 run for Idaho created some separation at 14-11. Ryter and Sharp helped fuel a 6-1 run that led to a 20-14 advantage for the Vandals. Crawford finished off the set for Idaho, 25-18.

The fourth set was back and forth from the first serve. The two teams played 18 ties and seven lead changes in the frame. Each team had early runs in the opening points, building to a 10-10 tie. The Vandals claimed the first big swing, a 4-1 run, to claim a 19-16 lead. NAU immediately came back and tied things at 19. The Lumberjacks used a 3-0 swing to go up 24-23 but Idaho answered back with kills from Straw and Sharp to retake a 25-24 lead. NAU closed on a 5-2 run to even the match with a 29-27 result.

"The team battled," Buchanan explained. "I felt like our offense was really good from our pins and our middles did a really good job of getting involved. We made big plays when it counted."

The tight play carried over into the final set. The teams played to 14 different ties in the tie-break. Idaho pounced on the Lumberjacks early on, claiming a fast 5-2 lead. NAU tied the score at five and never played Idaho point-for-point the rest of the set. Idaho used a 4-1 run to get to match-point at 14-13. NAU fended off five match-points to tie the match at 18. Haylee Mathis gave Idaho its sixth and final match-point opportunity, 19-18. An NAU attack error clinched the win for Idaho, 20-18. 

Idaho began the road trip two weeks again at North Dakota with a 3-0 loss. The team has since won three consecutive matches to close out the road trip with a 3-1 record. 

"Anytime you go on the road it is hard," Buchanan added. "These are tough road trips. The fact that we have the next two weeks at home is huge."

Mathis closed the day with a career-high 59 assists. Three different Vandals finished with 10 or more digs. Delaney Hopen and Alycia Wodke each totaled 15. Maura Donovan finished with 10. 

Idaho will be back at home next Thursday, against Weber State to kick off a four-match homestand.