MOSCOW, Idaho - Idaho Volleyball hung tough with one of the Big Sky's most efficient offenses on Saturday, ultimately dropping the finale of its home-opening homestand to Weber State in four sets. After taking a thrilling opener in extras, the Vandals' efficient hitting cooled off, and WSU capitalized to pull away in the third and fourth frames.
The night's high point came in a back-and-forth first set. Idaho erased a Weber State set point and closed on back-to-back Wildcat attack errors, the last of which came off a Gabi Smith-Sophie Danielson rejection to steal the opener 27-25.
Weber State seized control from there, hitting a scorching .429 in the second set and pulling away for a 25-19 win to even the match. Despite the tally, sophomore Kiana Greer earned her tenth kill of the night midway through, putting her at 500 in what has been a short but stellar career to date.
The third proved the turning point. Idaho surged ahead 22-17 behind Allie Ferrin and a Greer ace, seemingly in control, only for the Wildcats to close on an 8-1 run, bolstered by a string of Vandal attack errors, to steal the set 25-23 and grab a 2-1 lead. Weber State carried that momentum into the fourth, pulling away late for a 25-19 win to close out the match. The night was a tale of two halves for Idaho, as they were held to a combined .092 hitting clip in the final two periods after coming out of the gates at .268 and .242 in the first pair.Â
Greer paced her team with 15 kills and reached the 500-kill career milestone along the way. She accomplished this feat in just 42 matches, the fastest by a Vandal since 2011, when Allison Walker hit the mark in her 35th. She now sits at 505.
Sarah Sullivan and Danielson each added eight kills, and Csenge Krakoczki and Zola Zuccolo combined for 39 assists. Anika Hudson and Gabi Smith each had a hand in a trio of blocks while Lucy Ryan added two, and Keira Kleidon led the back line with 18 digs.
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The Vandals hit the road for their first Big Sky trip of the season, visiting Montana State on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Montana on Saturday, Oct. 3.
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