MOSCOW, Idaho—The Idaho Vandals are off to a 2-0 start in conference play for just the second time in head coach Debbie Buchanan's 18 year tenure. The Vandals swept Montana 3-0 on Saturday, giving Idaho a 2-0 start in conference play for the first time since 2000.

Idaho's (7-6, 2-0 BSC) 25-20, 25-15, 25-20 win over the Lady Griz gives the team its sixth 3-0 win of the season. The Vandals totaled six sweeps combined in the last two seasons.

"Starting 2-0 feels great," junior Alycia Wodke commented following the match. "Being able to win when you are at home is probably the best feeling. Starting out 2-0—I can't even explain it."

The Vandals made their presence felt at the net in the early ongoings. Idaho totaled six of its nine team blocks in the first set. Montana was unable to sustain an effective attack throughout the match. Idaho held the Lady Griz to just a .071 attack percentage on the night.

"We are reaching the goals that we have set," head coach Debbie Buchanan explained. "We are doing a great job of keeping our errors to a minimum and playing level volleyball. Tonight was not as crisp as it was the other night [against Montana State] but we were still able to do some great things."

Setter Haylee Mathis made it difficult for the Lady Griz with four blocks in the opening frame. Montana was able to stay close with Idaho until a late 3-0 run by the Vandals broke the tie at 18. Mathis and Torrin Crawford combined for Idaho's sixth block to go up 20-18. An ace by Wodke helped Idaho close the set on a 4-0 run.

Kaela Straw and DeVonne Ryter helped propel the Vandals in the second set. They each totaled four kills in the set. The Vandals hit a match-best .306 percent in the frame, only recording three errors on the attack. Straw recorded two kills and Wodke fired her second ace to help Idaho in a 5-0 run, extending its lead to 16-9. A kill from Ryter was followed by an ace from the junior to put Idaho out in front but 10, 22-12. Straw and Crawford closed the set, 25-15, off a block on Montana's Maddy Marshall.

"When we are defending behind our block it gives our hitter confidence," Wodke explained. When they put away balls like they did tonight I feel like it gives us more confidence to play defense. We just kind of bounce back and forth off each other."

Montana (5-10, 02 BSC) opened the final set with a slim two-point advantage, 4-2. The Vandals and Grizzlies played back and forth, featuring five ties in the first twenty points. Idaho gained a 12-10 lead, but Montana used a 3-0 run of its own to retake the lead 13-12. A kill from Straw tied the match at 13 and Idaho was good from there, going on a 7-1 to go up 19-14. Crawford closed out the night with her eighth kill, giving Idaho the win.

Straw led all players with 13 kills, recording her seventh double-figure kill match of the season. Ryter totaled eight kills, hitting a match-high .636 percent. Wodke matched her season-high with 26 digs to lead the match. Delaney Hopen also shined on defense, matching her season-high with 13 digs.

"Anytime we can dig in transition and get those kills is huge," Buchanan added. "That is something we need to continue to get better at. We have some big goals going into next week. It is going to be a long trip but we have to be a little bit better than we were tonight."

The Vandals will head back out on the road for the next four matches. The team heads up to North Dakota next Thursday, Sept. 28, to start the four-game swing.

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

For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.