The Idaho women’s volleyball team started their last nonconference tournament Thursday at home.
The Vandals fell 3-2 (24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 20-25, 11-15) to open the Idaho Volleyball Classic. Three offensive players earned over 10 kills.
Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Sharp led with 18.
Senior defensive specialist Terra Varney grabbed 19 digs and surpassed Heather Kniss for fifth all-time in career digs. Varney and junior outside hitter Klaree Hobart led Idaho with two aces.
Wyoming (6-5) scored first after an attack error from Idaho. Idaho continued to fight with six kills from Sharp in the first set.
A 5-0 run from Wyoming gave the Cowgirls a 26-24 first set win.
After kills from junior outside hitter Becca Mau and an ace by freshman setter Megan Ramseyer, Idaho took the lead. The Vandals won the set 25-21.The Vandals took control in the early stages of set three with a 12-5 lead. Wyoming responded on offense with an 11-3 run putting the Cowgirls in front 16-15. A kill from Sharp helped Idaho regain the lead. The teams went back and forth, but Idaho escaped with a 25-23 win.
The fourth went Idaho’s way with an early 6-1 run. The Vandals held the lead for a majority of the set. However, Wyoming bounced back and won the set 25-20.
The Cowgirls started the fifth set ahead. A kill by sophomore outside hitter DeVonne Ryter and an ace by freshman defensive specialist Tara Eaton helped close the gap on the board.
Errors plagued the Vandals and Wyoming took the 15-11 win.
Idaho plays Tennessee Tech 12:30 p.m. Friday and Oregon State 7 p.m. Friday.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected]or on Twitter @TheLTFiles