MOSCOW, Idaho - After an encouraging start to the season in the opening day of action, Idaho Volleyball returned for day 2 of the Volleyball Invitational in Memorial Gym.
The Vandals came into the day with plenty of momentum after the first season-opening win for the program since 2019, a 3-0 sweep of Oral Roberts. They would keep that rolling in a back-and-forth barnburner with Cal State Fullerton that went the way of the Titans in the fifth set. Despite that, it was a strong opening day for Idaho, exactly what they needed for a tough matchup with Portland, who went 2-0 on day one.Â
The Vandals brought that same intensity to Saturday's matchup, but Portland showed why they hadn't dropped a set to date, taking the decisive points in three sets.
Freshman Kiana Greer finished her outstanding collegiate debut with nine kills, followed by Cayton White with six. 6'0" fellow freshman Gabi Smith was solid for the Vandals on defense and serving, as she finished with four blocks and a pair of aces. Csenge Krakoczki and Chiara Gennari added two blocks each, and Krakoczki added 21 more assists to her first career weekend.Â
FINAL NOTES
-
Kiana Greer wrapped up her first career weekend with 32 kills, 29 digs, five service aces, a pair of blocks, and an assist.Â
-
Cayton White also tallied 32 kills in her debut with a team-high 17 vs. Cal State Fullerton on Friday night. She also recorded a block in all three matches.Â
-
Csenge Krakoczki, a fellow freshman to Greer, had a standout performance as well. The freshman from Hungary, roughly 6,000 miles from home, earned six kills from the setter position, as well as 17 digs, five blocks, and a pair of aces in eleven sets.
-
The scoreline was back-and-forth all day long, with 24 ties and 11 lead changes.
Â
The Vandals will begin preparations for Week 2, traveling across Washington state to the Seattle U Invite, where they will face the host Redhawks, Manhattan College Jaspers, and, once again, the Cal State Fullerton Titans.
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Idaho Volleyball, follow the team on Instagram(vandalvolleyball), Â Â Â X(IdahoVolleyball) and visit govandals.com
