IDAHO NOTES WATCH LIVE STATS 2021 QUICK FACTS
PORTLAND, Oregon—Idaho volleyball travels to Portland, Oregon to take on Portland State in a pair of non-conference matches to begin the season.
The Vandals and Vikings will first face off on Sunday, Jan. 24th at 1 p.m. followed by game two on Monday at 1 p.m. in Viking Pavilion.
Sunday's match marks the first match for Idaho is 424 days, dating back to the 2019 season. The Big Sky's previously scheduled fall season was pushed to the spring due to COVID-19 health and safety concerns.
FOLLOW: FanS can watch the game live on
Pluto TV Channel 1051 and follow live stats at
GoVandals.com/VBstats. Follow along on twitter @IdahoVolleyball
LAST MEETING: Idaho and Portland State played each other twice in 2019 with the Vandals winning both games. Most recently, 449 days ago, Idaho defeated the Vikings 3-1 in Portland.
Kennedy Warren led the Vandals with 16 kills. Portland State leads trhe series 8-17 all-time.
This unusual spring season brings many changes including a new-look schedule. In addition to playing from January to March the Vandals will play the same opponent in back-to-back games. Each conference matchup will consist of a two game weekend series. Most contests will be played on Sunday and Monday. The Vandals will play two Saturday/Sunday series' and one Friday/Saturday series. Both matches will be in the same location.
After finishing sixth in the 2019 season the Vandals were picked to finish sixth in the 2020 Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll announced late in the summer.
For three consecutive seasons the Vandals have finished .500 or above in conference play. In 2018 Idaho earned a share of the regular season title with a 15-3 record. In 2017 the Vandals posted a 12-4 finish in league play. Last season Idaho finished 9-9 in the Big Sky.
The Vandals return eight players from last year's roster including four starters. The Vandals lost three starters and two others from last season. The group of returners includes
Kennedy Warren and
Nikki Ball who were both named to the Big Sky All-Conference Second Team last season.
For this season Idaho returns all three of their top kill leaders from a year ago.
Kennedy Warren led the way with 377 kills while
Avery Housley and
Nikki Ball totaled 254 and 249.
HEAD COACH DEBBIE BUCHANAN
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.
