IDAHO NOTES | PLUTO TV | LIVE STATS
MOSCOW, Idaho – Volleyball looks to keep the momentum going as Idaho (9-8, 3-2) takes on Portland State (2-15, 1-4) at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Memorial Gym.
FOLLOW: Fans can follow along through the links provided on the volleyball schedule page and at the top of this article. Thursday's match will be streamed live on the PlutoTV app. Live stat information can be found on the volleyball schedule page and at the top of this article.
LAST MATCH: The Vandals returned home and took down the Hornets of Sacramento State in four sets. Idaho got out to a strong start, dominating the first set at 25-12. The Hornets responded to take the second, but the Vandals hung in to take the third and fourth to win the match.
Kaela Straw was unreal on Thursday night, hitting .474 with 18 kills and no errors.
Haylee Mathis recorded 52 assists. It was the fourth time this season that Mathis recorded 50-plus assists.
DEFENSE FIRST: The Vandal defense has been strong in 2018, with opponents hitting under .150 on seven occasions this year (Idaho is 6-1 in those matches). Last year, Idaho accomplished the feat nine times on the entire season. The previous three seasons, Idaho averaged four such occurrences per year.
ROAD WARRIORS: Idaho was the lone team in the Big Sky to start the conference schedule with four consecutive road contests. Overall, the Vandals spent more than a month on the road, after opening the season in Moscow.
BIG SKY EXPECTATIONS: The Vandals were picked by the conference's coaches to win the Big Sky, taking nine first place votes in the annual poll.
MATCHUP: Portland State enters the matchup at 2-15 on the season, including 1-4 in Big Sky play. The Vikings snapped a 15-game losing streak on Thursday night, coming back to defeat Eastern Washington after dropping two of the first three sets. PSU won the lone matchup last season in a sweep.
EWU is the only common opponent for Idaho and Portland State so far this season. Idaho swept the Eagles in Cheney, while PSU needed five sets to take the win.
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho volleyball by following the team on Instagram and Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball. Visit GoVandals.com/Tickets for more information on season and single match tickets.
