MOSCOW, Idaho - Winners of four of their first six, Idaho Volleyball will stay on the road for Week 3, trading the Rocky Mountains for Riverside and a trip to the Golden State for the CBU Challenge, a.k.a "The Joust," hosted by Cal Baptist.

The Vandals have opened the year with back-to-back 2-1 weekends, most recently taking down Marist and SIUE around a hard-fought loss to host Denver at the Denver Invitational. Now 4-2 and riding a weekend-closing win over the Cougars, UI will face three fresh opponents in Southern California before turning for home.

Sticking to the standard non-conference style, the event will run as a four-team round-robin, with Idaho, Sacred Heart, North Dakota and the host Lancers each meeting once across three days. The Black and Gold open Thursday, Sept. 10 against Sacred Heart, take on North Dakota on Friday, and close against Cal Baptist on Saturday.

ABOUT SACRED HEART
Idaho opens the weekend against a Sacred Heart squad off to a 3-3 start. The Pioneers split six matches across the Black Knight Invitational and their own Sacred Heart Invite, most recently downing Central Connecticut in four sets to enter the trip on a winning note. SHU is led by Rob Machan in his 20th season at the helm and one of the most decorated coaches in program history, with four Coach of the Year honors, an NEC Tournament title, and a long list of 20-win campaigns. 

ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA
Friday brings a matchup with North Dakota, which sits at 2-3 early in a new era. The Fighting Hawks are led by first-year head coach David Nguyen, hired in December as the 15th head coach in program history after a standout run at Fairleigh Dickinson, where he earned back-to-back NEC Coach of the Year honors and led the Knights to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. UND already owns a sweep of Chicago State and a 3-1 comeback win over Mercer, which the Summit League squad rode into the weekend.

ABOUT CAL BAPTIST
The Vandals close against the host Lancers, who enter their own event at 2-3. Cal Baptist is settling into a new home in 2026, beginning its first season as a member of the Big West. Trevor Johnson's group has leaned on freshman Nalanie Neal, already a two-time Big West Rookie of the Week, and holds wins over New Mexico and Seattle U. The Lancers will have the comfort of Van Dyne Gym on their side to wrap up the weekend.

UP NEXT
Idaho's road trip rolls on in Week 4 with a trip to the Big Easy for the New Orleans Invitational, hosted by the Privateers and featuring Florida A&M and Cal State Fullerton.