ST. GEORGE, Utah - Spending part of Homecoming Week on the road, Idaho Volleyball headed to the Beehive State for a matchup with Big Sky leader Utah Tech, falling to the Trailblazers in three sets.
UT's potent offense proved hard to contain, hitting .355 on the afternoon while holding UI to .132. The Vandals' strong serving stretch cooled for the evening in St. George as they were held without an ace for the first time all season.
Undeterred by the foe that lay ahead, Idaho rallied from a 2-6 start and spurred two separate 4-0 runs to take a three-point lead into the media timeout. Anika Hudson powered the way for the offense with five kills in the frame alone. Despite UI leading by as much as 17-13 late, a Utah Tech rally chipped away at the difference before the hosts would retake the lead for the first time since before the break. Alaina Armstrong and Sarah Sullivan provided some pressure in the waning points before UT went up 1-0.
The second set started much like the first, with the Vandals going blow-for-blow with the top team in the conference, neither team pulling away by more then three points until after the media break. Allie Ferrin provided a spark for the Brave and Bold with four kills to start out, and Sullivan and Sophie Danielson kept the team in it before another late Trailblazer run ended the period.
The final frame saw Utah Tech pick up an early 7-2 lead due to costly Idaho errors before three combined kills from Ferrin and Hudson punctuated the visitors' 5-0 tear to go back even at 8-all. From there, the Trailblazer attack picked up steam, and UI was unable to find an answer, falling in three to end the night.
Anika Hudson led the charge offensively with a season-high 11 kills, followed by Allie Ferrin with 10 and Sarah Sullivan with eight. Csenge Krakoczki was the catalyst for Idaho's offense with 32 assists and the team's only block of the match, and Keira Kleidon patrolled the back end of the court with a dozen digs.
UP NEXT
Idaho returns home for Homecoming as part of a doubleheader with Vandal Football vs. Southern Utah. First serve is set for 7:00 PM PT, and admission is free of charge to fans who bring their football ticket.
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Vandal Volleyball, follow the team on Instagram (vandalvolleyball), X (IdahoVolleyball) and visit govandals.com
