GREELEY, Colo. - Idaho Volleyball ran into a red-hot Northern Colorado team on Saturday afternoon, falling in four sets to close out its road trip. The Bears hit a blistering .404 for the match, and UI struggled to gain control, dropping to 10-8 overall and 1-5 in Big Sky play.
Northern Colorado came out of the gate on fire, hitting .583 in a dominant opening set and racing to a 25-10 win that was never in doubt.
Idaho answered in the second, flipping an early deficit on the strength of a seven-point service run from Csenge Krakoczki, which included a pair of aces, to surge ahead. The Vandals held off a late push to even the match with a 25-23 win, punctuated by Alaina Armstrong putting down the final two points the team needed to get on the board.
The sides traded points into the middle of the third, knotted at 18, before the Bears closed on a decisive run to take it 25-19 and reclaim the lead. Northern Colorado again pulled away late in the fourth, breaking a 13-13 tie with a lengthy run behind a strong serving spell to build the advantage and close out the match.
Sarah Sullivan led a balanced Idaho attack with eight kills, while Gabi Smith and Koen Makaula each hit .500 on six kills apiece, and Krakoczki distributed 21 assists. The Vandals hit as strong as .259 in the third frame but were held to just .173 on the day and were outblocked 7-3. Keira Kleidon paced the back end of the court with 14 digs, and Greer, Makaula, and Smith each picked up a block.
UP NEXT
Idaho finally returns home to continue conference play, hosting Portland State on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Memorial Gym. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT.
