With less than a week of preparation left, the Idaho volleyball team is set to begin the 2017 season Friday at Oregon State.
In a news release Idaho head coach Debbie Buchanan said she looks forward to the potential of the upcoming season.
“We are way further along than we were last year,” she said.
“That is exciting. For the most part, we have been able to keep everyone healthy. We have been able to push along and really try a bunch of different rotations. It is nice to have a lot of depth, especially on the outside.”
The Vandals will open the season against Oregon State Friday and then follow with two more matchups against Kansas State and Pacific University Saturday.
Idaho is returning 10 upper-classmen from last season’s team. The veteran experience provides the Vandals with a solid core of leaders going into the new season,
One of the Vandals’ most productive returners from last season’s team is junior Sarah Sharp, who bolstered the Idaho offense in 2016. Sharp led the team in one deadly category last season: kills.
“I feel like you earn a lot of confidence going into your third season,” Sharp said in a news release. “We all know what is expected of us. It makes it a little easier.”
The Vandals’ offensive threat is certainly present with Sharp in the rotation, but fellow junior Kaela Straw could provide Idaho with even more kills.
Straw was second to Sharp in kills last season. The athletic duo should be quite the handful to opposing defenses.
Idaho will be right back in action following the game in Corvallis. The Vandals will head to Chicago Aug. 31 for the second tournament of the year. Their opponents will be Depaul University and University of Illinois – Chicago.
Zack Ozuna can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @OzunaZack21