MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho volleyball team travels to Utah to compete in the Southern Utah/Utah Tech Invitational, Sept. 15-16. The Vandals have a busy weekend ahead as they are set to take on Marshall, Utah Tech and Southern Utah.

The Vandals will begin tournament play on Friday at 10 a.m. PT with a matchup against Marshall University and will close out the day against Utah Tech at 5:30 p.m. PT. Idaho will close out the weekend with a matchup against Southern Utah on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.

HOW TO FOLLOW 
Idaho vs. Marshall // Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. PT
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

Idaho vs. Utah Tech // Sept. 15 at 5:30 p.m. PT
Watch: WAC International
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

Idaho vs. Southern Utah // Sept. 16 at 11 a.m. PT
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

ABOUT IDAHO

• Idaho attended the Cougar Classic last week in Illinois where they fell to three opponents to move to 1-8 overall on the season. Although the Vandals came up short on the weekend, they fought a tough back-and-forth battle against Western Illinois. Aine Doty put up a solid effort on the defensive end leading the team in digs for all three matches and tallying a career-high 35 digs against the Leathernecks. On the offensive end, Zuzanna Wieczorek posted a team-high 11 kills for the Vandals that contributed to a win in the third set.
• Doty is as efficient as they come in the back row this season, posting a league-leading 4.97 digs per set. Renata Lopez Morales continues to lead Idaho at the net with 23 blocks. 
• The Vandals continue to see strong performances out of their freshmen class, as Lacy Cox leads the team in assists (140) and Wieczorek holds the second most kills with 52 on the season.

SCOUTING MARSHALL

• The Herd currently holds a 5-6 record on the season and a 3-1 record on the road. Marshall heads into the week having just competed at the Queens Classic, where they posted two victories over Furman (3-1) and Queens (3-0) and a 3-1 loss against UNC Asheville.
• Marshall is led by outside hitter Kylee Stokes and defensive specialist Bria Samilton. Stokes earned all-tournament team honors at the Queens Classic after averaging 4.18 kills per set. Samilton leads the Sun Belt and ranks 16th in the country with 20 service aces.  
• The two programs meet for the first time on Friday. 

SCOUTING UTAH TECH

• Utah Tech enters the week 3-5 overall and 0-2 at home. The Trailblazers have earned wins over Manhattan (3-0), CSU Bakersfield (3-1), and New Mexico and look to bounce back after a pair of losses to Fresno State last week. 
• Setter Taela Laufiso is the leader on the Trailblazer offense, ranking seventh best in the WAC in assists per set (7.32), while Kennedi Knudsen sits 10th in kills per set with 3. 
• The Vandals and Trailblazers square off for the first time in series history on Friday evening. 

SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH

• Southern Utah starts the season 3-5 overall and 1-0 at home. The Thunderbirds opened the season with a pair of victories over Providence and Eastern Washington while also earning a five-set win over Fresno State last week. 
• The Thunderbirds are led by duo Yasemin Elmas and Arianna Bilby on the attack. Bilby is tops in the WAC with 4.21 kills per set average while Elmas sits first with a .456 hitting percentage. Setter Elif Teksoy sets up the attack with 276 assists and 9.52 assists per set, which ranks third in the conference. 
• The two programs meet for the 12th time in series history on Saturday. Idaho carries a 9-2 mark over the Thunderbirds with the Vandals earning a 3-0 sweep last time out in 2021. 

UP NEXT: The Vandals return home to begin Big Sky Conference play, as they welcome the Montana State Bobcats to Memorial Gym on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.

Single-game and season tickets can be purchased online at GoVandals.com/Tickets or by calling the box office at (208) 885-6466.

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