MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho volleyball team (4-16, 1-7 BSC) returns home this week to host a pair of conference opponents in Montana State (8-13, 4-5 BSC) and Montana (12-9, 5-4 BSC) on ICCU Court at Memorial Gym.
 
Thursday's match against the Bobcats is slated for a 6 p.m. PT first serve, while Saturday's match against the Grizzlies will start at 1 p.m. PT. Both matches will air on ESPN+.
 
How to follow 
Idaho vs. Montana State // Oct. 27 at 6 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Tickets: govandals.com/tickets
Promotion: Student Organization Night 
 
Idaho vs. Montana // Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Tickets: govandals.com/tickets
Promotion: Golden Ticket Match
 
Last Time Out
The Vandals earned their first Big Sky win last week, taking down Northern Arizona on the road in four sets. It marked Coach Gonzalez's first conference win at the helm of the Vandal program. Taryn Vrieling recorded her first career double-double, with a personal best of 17 kills and 11 digs to help lead Idaho offensively. Allison Munday also provided a spark on the attack with 13 kills. 
 
Idaho posted 15 total blocks in the win, marking a team-high this season. Travel Morris recorded the most blocks in a single match by a Big Sky player this season with a career-high 11 stuffs. Munday and Hailey Pelton were also efficient at the next, recording seven and five blocks, respectively.
 
 
Notables

• Coming off a personal best 11 total blocks in a win over NAU, junior Travel Morris received her first career conference weekly honor after being named Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Week (10/24). Morris becomes the third Vandal this season to earn conference honors. 
• Taryn Vrieling tallied her first double-double (17 kills, 11 digs) of her career and posted her best hitting percentage (.350) in over a month. Vrieling is leading the team in kills (186), kills per set (2.78) and points per set (3.16). 
• In conference matches, middle blocker Travel Morris is averaging the most blocks per set with 1.28. She's leading the Vandals at the net, totaling 63 total blocks this season. 
• Setter Hailey Pelton delivered two consecutive double-doubles in matches versus Idaho State and Weber State (10/6-8). She put up 46 assists and 10 digs against the Bengals before posting 29 assists and 12 digs against the Wildcats.
• Outside hitter Allison Munday continued to produce offensively and defensively in Idaho's four-set win over NAU, as she provided 13 kills, eight digs and seven blocks. 
• Munday tallied her first double-double of the season against Weber State (10/8), with 10 kills and 13 digs. 
• The Vandals earned two Big Sky Conference Player of the Week awards during the same week for the first time since 2018, with freshman setter Kate Doorn earning offensive honors and freshman middle hitter Madison Wilson being recognized for Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19. 
• Madison Wilson is second on the team in blocks with 54. Her 10-block effort against Tarleton State (9/10) is tied for the second most stuffs in a single match by a conference player. 
• Libero Aine Doty has tallied double-digit digs in 16 out of 20 matches in her true freshman season, including a season-best of 23 against Weber State (10/8). She is averaging the ninth-highest mark for digs per set (3.97) in conference matches.
• After recording a season-high 15 total blocks against the Lumberjacks, the Vandals moved up to third in the Big Sky for average blocks per set with 2.38. 
• First-year head coach Chris Gonzalez guided the Vandals to a straight-set sweep over Morehead State on Sept. 16 at the UNIWYO Invite to earn his first win as an Idaho head coach. The victory preceded two additional wins, as Idaho went a perfect 3-0 and were crowned tournament champions at UNIWYO Invite.
• The 2022 season marks the 49th year of Idaho volleyball.
• The Vandals were picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll.

 
About Montana State
 

• The Bobcats enter the week in sixth place in the Big Sky standings after splitting last week with a sweep over Idaho State and a four-set loss against Weber State. Montana State is 2-4 on the road and lost their last two matches away from Bozeman. 
• MSU puts up an all-around effort offensively with four student-athletes each recording at least 140 kills - Jourdain Klein (167), Emma Pence (154), Jordan Radick (153) and Courtney Weatherby (142). Radick has been the most efficient of the four, ranking sixth in hitting percentage in Big Sky matches at a .341 clip. Setting up the Bobcat attack is Audrey Hofer, who ranks third highest in assists per set amongst conference student-athletes with 10.34. 
• The Vandals and Bobcats meet for the first time this season. UI leads the series 39-15, but MSU has won the last six matchups.

 
About Montana

• The Grizzlies are 12-9 on the season and hold a 5-4 conference mark. UM split last week with a three-set loss to Weber State and a sweep over Idaho State.  
• Outside hitter Clark Paige holds the most kills and the highest kills per set average in conference matches this season, totaling 129 kills and an average of 3.91 per set. Defensively, libero Sarina Moreno is leading the Grizzlies in digs and ranks third in the Big Sky for digs per set with 4.91.  
• Idaho and Montana face off for the second time this season. UM took a three-set win over the Vandals in Missoula back on Sept. 24. The Vandals carry a 40-32 record over Montana.

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