LARAMIE, Wyoming – The Idaho volleyball team (2-9) captured two wins at the UniWyo Invite Friday, earning a sweep over Morehead State and a four-set victory against Wyoming.
"We have been speaking only of improvement and creating an identity we could be proud of," Idaho head coach
Chris Gonzalez said. "In our first match against Wyoming, we lost 0-3 with 21, -14, -13; to come back after two weeks and win 3-1 on their home floor with two deuce scores shows both improvement and fight. Clearly, we have a ways to go, but today we managed to grow."
The Vandals put together a collective effort on the offensive end, posting their highest hitting percentage (.353) of the season in a sweep against Morehead State 25-22, 25-17, 25-17.
Taryn Vrieling recorded a team-high 11 kills and hit .375 while
Allison Munday posted nine kills on .444 to lead the charge.
Freshman setter
Kate Doorn continued to be a bright spot for the Vandals, putting up a combined 70 assists in two matches. She started with a personal best of 29 assists versus MSU before tallying 41 against the Cowgirls. Not only did she deliver on offense, but Doorn also provided a spark defensively with five total blocks.
"Kate did a great job of regulating the speed of the offense," Gonzalez said. "When we could play faster concepts she did with accuracy, and when we needed to play higher she was equally accurate, this was reflective in our efficiency today at 31%."
Idaho eclipsed a season-high in blocks with 13 to help slow down the Eagles' attack.
Madison Wilson recorded six stuffs while Munday had four along with seven digs.
For the Eagles, Maycie Welborn and M.E. Hargan each had nine kills to lead their squad. The sweep against Morehead State constitutes Gonzalez's first career win as an Idaho head coach.
After falling in three sets to Wyoming 13 days ago, the Vandals were victorious after battling down 1-0 (16-25) to win the final three sets, 25-23, 25-22, 25-23 on the Cowgirls' home court.
Three Vandals delivered double-digit kills and hit over .375 in the victory over Wyoming. Munday and Vrieling totaled 15 kills each while
Olivia Gloeckner put together her most kills as a Vandal with 11.
Defensively, libero
Aine Doty added 13 digs while Vrieling added nine for Idaho. Munday and Gloeckner also put up eight digs to cap off their stellar performances.
For the Cowgirls, KC McMahon led the way with 17 kills while the Vandals forced Wyoming into 23 attack errors.
Up next, Idaho will wrap up its non-conference slate against Nicholls State Saturday at 9 a.m. Pacific Time in the UniWyo Sports Complex.
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