MOSCOW, Idaho -- The Idaho volleyball team will travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina this weekend to compete in their final non-conference tournament before starting conference play next week. The two-day Spartan Classic will feature a pair of meetings with West Georgia and host USC Upstate.
The Vandals begin tournament play with competition against West Georgia on Friday at 11 a.m. PT before terminating non-conference action with a Saturday matchup game against USC Upstate at 8 a.m. PT.
HOW TO FOLLOW:
Idaho vs. West Georgia // Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. PT
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Stats
Idaho at USC Upstate // Sept. 21 at 8 a.m. PT
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Stats
ABOUT IDAHO
The Vandals head into their final week of non-conference action with a 1-8 record after receiving their first win of the season over Siena College (3-1) a week ago. With Siena winning the first set, the Vandals turned it up on the offensive and defensive end to secure wins in sets two and three. After being down 22-10 in the fourth, the Vandals clawed back by scoring 15 of the next 16 points to complete an incredible comeback.
Idaho's offense was led by
Taylor Brickey and her career-high 17 kills in the win. Brickey ended the weekend with a total of 31 kills to earn All-Tournament recognition for the first time in her career.
Madu Fontes posted her first D1 double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. Idaho's
Lauryn Arnold was also a leader on the attack, adding 11 kills with a .563 attack percentage. Leading the defense was
Emma Patterson, who posted a personal best eight total blocks in the victory effort.
Natalie Wielgus has also been a driving force on the offensive side with 158 assists on the year. She totaled 39 assists in the win over Siena and has recorded 10 or more assists in seven games. Patterson's career game boosted her block total to 25 while libero
Ada Isik leads the team in the dig department with 59.
SCOUTING WEST GEORGIA
The West Georgia Wolves are going into this weekend with a 6-4 record, coming off a 3-1 win against Nicholls State at the Golden Eagle Invitational last weekend. The Wolves' defense is led by Victoria Schmer, who has been a dominant force for this team in the back row with 174 total digs on the year. That mark ranks 15th in the country. Schmer was recently voted All-Tournament team and named ASUN Defensive Player of the Week.
SCOUTING USC UPSTATE
The USC Upstate Volleyball team is going into week four of the season with a 2-8 record. Both wins were captured at the Queens Fall Classic Tournament last weekend where the Spartans went 2-1 with wins against Davidson (3-2) and Queens (3-2) during day two of tournament play. The Spartans offense is led by freshman Kamyla Vega David, who was announced Big South Setter of the Week and Big South Freshman of the Week this week after giving out a league-high 122 assists (8.71 per set). Vega David enters the Spartan Classic ranked second in the Big South in total assists, handing out 294 on the season.
UP NEXT
The Vandals return to Memorial Gym for the 2024 home opener next week to jumpstart conference play against Portland State on Thursday, Sept. 26. First serve gets underway at 6 p.m. PT.
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho volleyball by visiting GoVandals.com or by following the team on Twitter @IdahoVolleyball and Instagram, @vandalvolleyball.
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