MOSCOW, Idaho - Idaho Volleyball provided a lot of hype for the regular season in the first two weeks of non-conference play.

This weekend, the Vandals brought the same energy to Fargo and Grand Forks for the NDSU/UND Invitational, hanging tough with three talented teams between Thursday and Saturday. 

On the first day of action, Idaho faced off with then 4-1 North Dakota State on their home court. While the box score will say a 3-1 victory by the Bison, the Vandals had the hosts on their heels at many points in the contest, bolstered heavily by Kiana Greer's 14 kills and Cayton White's 11. Freshman Gabi Smith tallied six total blocks on the day in her biggest sample of action this season. 

The following day, in a morning matchup with UTSA, Idaho once again went toe to toe with a strong opponent. White improved on her strong performance from the day prior with a team-leading 16 kills vs. the Roadrunners, and Sarah Sullivan came off the bench to tally a dozen of her own as the Vandals stole a set in Fargo before falling in the fourth.

Finally, the brave and bold made their way over to Grand Forks for the final contest vs. UND. Cayton White led the team for a second day in a row in kills with 15, and Chiara Gennari made some key plays with 11 of her own. Zuzanna Whitman saw the court for some of her first major opportunities of the season and recorded a block vs. the Hawks.

Idaho will return to action next week, traveling the farthest east of any trip this year at the Tiger Invitational, hosted by Tennessee State in Nashville. The Vandals will take on TSU and Indiana State in day one on Sep. 19 and finish up vs. Chattanooga on Sep. 20.

FINAL NOTES

• After three straight matches with double-digit kills, Cayton White has taken the team lead in the category with 108. Freshman Kiana Greer holds the second-most with 86, and Chiara Gennari rounds out the top three with 74.

• The freshman pair of Aleina Manaois and Csenge Krakoczki have become the go-to setters for the Vandals. Manaois has racked up 196 assists in six matches and Krakoczki has tallied 135 so far.

• Koen Makaula tallied seven total blocks over the weekend to increase her team leading total to 30. Gabi Smith has had a strong two weeks in North Dakota and Seattle to hit second place with 23. 

• Smith and Sarah Sullivan are now tied for the team lead in service aces with 7.

• Next week's tournament in Nashville will feature three first time opponents for Vandal Volleyball: Tennessee State, Indiana State, and Chattanooga 
  
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