GREELEY, Colo.—Idaho volleyball picked up its seventh sweep of the season on Saturday. The Vandals bounced back from Thursday's loss at North Dakota with a 25-20, 26-24, 25-21 win at Northern Colorado.

Idaho (8-7, 3-1 BSC) continued to use its size at the net to its advantage. The Vandals totaled nine blocks on the night, forcing Northern Colorado into 27 attack errors. Senior Torrin Crawford led the team with six total blocks, including four solo.

"We came out and our blocking picked up from Thursday," head coach Debbie Buchanan noted. "I thought we did a job blocking. We did not make a lot of errors. We are staying in our error ratio which is good. That is the biggest difference when we are on the road. I am proud of the girls for getting the sweep, staying in it and really battling through."

The Vandal blocking game got rolling early on in the match. Idaho totaled five blocks in the first set. Crawford's first block gave Idaho a 10-8 lead. DeVonne Ryter and Haylee Mathis combined for a block moments later, helping a 7-2 run that pushed the Vandal lead to 15-10. Sarah Sharp's fourth kill of the set put the Vandals up 21-15. Crawford closed the set for Idaho with two solo blocks in the final three points.

Northern Colorado (9-8, 2-2 BSC) opened the second set with an early three-point advantage. A kill from Ryter started a 4-0 run for Idaho that gave Idaho its first lead in the set, 7-6. The Bears gained a 17-13 lead midway through the set. The Vandals used a late 3-0 run to tie the match at 22. UNC twice regained the lead to get to set point, 24-23. Another kill from Ryter kept Idaho going, drawing the teams even at 24. Klaree Hobart gave Idaho set point, 25-24, with her 18th ace of the season. The next point was ruled in favor of Northern Colorado, but Coach Buchanan challenged the call and won, giving Idaho the 26-24 win.

"I think winning the challenge definitely gave us momentum," Buchanan added. "It is pretty cool that they have the challenge system. I think that is something that is changing in the game of volleyball. The fact we played pretty steady at the end was good. I think that gave us momentum into game three for sure."

The Silver and Gold used five runs of 3-0 or better in the final set to close out the match. Idaho's first big run was a 4-0 push overcame UNC's 3-1 start to, gaining a 6-5 lead. Alycia Wodke and Reece Carman combined for a 3-0 run that gave Idaho a 12-9 advantage. UNC came back to take the lead with a 4-0 run of its own, 15-13. Idaho immediately recovered with kills for Sharp and Crawford in a 5-0 run that put the Vandals up 18-15. A block from Mathis and Crawford started the final run that put Idaho up 22-19. Mathis recorded the final point for Idaho, closing out the match 25-21.

"It was huge for us to come in and get the sweep," Buchanan explained. "We told the team how much that means. Northern Colorado is picked to be second in the conference. We see ourselves emerging as a top team. Our goal is to keep pushing and getting better."

Idaho outhit UNC, .236-136 percent, on the night. Straw led the Vandals with 11 kills. Sharp was right on her heels with 10 kills. Ryter led the team with a .667 hitting percentage, totaling six kills on nine swings. Mathis handed out 30 assists for the second straight match and added four blocks. Wodke led the team with 18 digs.

Kortney Lockey led all players with 14 kills for Northern Colorado. Alex Kloehn totaled 11 kills.

The Vandals will next be in action on Oct. 5, when they head to Southern Utah.   

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.