MOSCOW, Idaho - After a competitive showing at the Black and Gold Scrimmage on Saturday, Idaho Volleyball is set to begin the season with the return of the Vandal Volleyball Invitational this weekend.
The 2024 season was a one-year hiatus where the Vandals didn't play a home match until the conference opener vs. Portland State at the end of September, a full eleven contests following last year's scrimmage.
This year, the revamped squad has brought the round-robin tournament back to Memorial Gym. Oral Roberts, Cal State Fullerton, and Portland will make the trek to Moscow, where they will face the Vandals and each other across six total matches. The first four of these will take place on Friday, Aug. 29, with the remaining two the following day.
SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS
After a 4-25 campaign in 2024, Oral Roberts has tabbed Nolan Albrecht to lead the Golden Eagles into 2025 and beyond. Albrecht brings with him an established pedigree for development, most recently serving as an assistant coach and eventual acting head coach at Liberty. He has also been a coach and talent scout for USA Volleyball since 2017.
Two players for the Golden Eagles, Julia Carr and Natassia Baptiste, have been named Summit League Players to Watch in time for the 2025 season, effectively a preseason all-conference nod by. Carr arrived in Tulsa after a standout five years at Carroll College (MT), where she was the only player in the country to average 7.0 digs per set. She tallied 30+ digs in thirteen games and even eclipsed 50 twice.
Baptiste recorded the second-most kills on the team (130) last season and also finished second in hitting percentage (.203). She tallied a total of 48 blocks on the year, including a season-high five vs. Abilene Christian, adding up to a career total of 172.
SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
Cal State Fullerton is a unique foe this year in that they are the only non-Big Sky team the Vandals will face twice. The first such matchup is this Friday at 7:00 pm, and the second is nearly a week later to the hour at the Seattle U Tournament on Sep. 5.
Much like ORU, The Titans will be led by a first-year head coach in 2025. Nicky Cannon was appointed to lead the program after three seasons at the helm at UC Riverside. Last season, the Highlanders won 10+ games for the first time since 2017 and picked up key victories over Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
SCOUTING PORTLAND
The one institution of the three visitors to return the same head coach from 2024, Portland finished 12-16 in 2024, including 5-13 in West Coast Conference play. The dozen victories included sweeps over Gonzaga, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's, and Seattle U twice.
Standout returners Maui Robins and Taina Kaauwai enter the year with preseason accolades for the pilots. Robins earned Honorable Mention All-WCC after a strong 2024 campaign in which she recorded 305 kills and 32 service aces, leading the team in both. She became the 22nd player in program history to record 1,000 career points, and did so in just three seasons.
Kaauwai became the first player in program history to earn AVCA All-Region honors. She led the WCC in hitting percentage (.382), also ranking 34th in the country. She finished with 114 total blocks to sit near the top of the conference, and earned first-team all-league nods at the end of the year. She currently holds the Portland school record for most blocks in a single match with 12.
All six matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ by Idaho Athletics. A full tournament schedule can be found below. Links to live broadcasts and Live Stats can be found HERE and by visiting govandals.com
VANDAL VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL - FULL SCHEDULE
(All matches to take place in Memorial Gym)
Friday, August 29
-
Idaho vs. Oral Roberts - 10:00 AM PST
-
Cal State Fullerton vs. Portland - 12:00 PM PST
-
Oral Roberts vs. Portland - 5:00 PM PST
-
Idaho vs. Cal State Fullerton - 7:00 PM PST
Saturday, August 30
-
Cal State Fullerton vs. Oral Roberts - 10:00 AM PST
6 Idaho vs. Portland - 1:00 PM PST
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Idaho Volleyball, follow the team on Instagram(vandalvolleyball), X(IdahoVolleyball) and visit govandals.com
