The Idaho volleyball team got off to a rocky start but bounced back to pick up another win at the Santa Clara/San Jose State Tournament.
Idaho (5-6) was handled by Santa Clara early on Friday before turning around and dominating San Jose State defensively later that night. An upset bid against No. 9 Kansas was cut short after four sets on Saturday.
Junior outside hitter Kaela Straw earned all-tournament honors. She posted a team-high 34 kills through three contests, 17 of which were against Kansas.
Head coach Debbie Buchanan said in a news release that she felt the Vandals did not play Santa Clara the way in which she expected.
“As a coach, I was a little disappointed,” Buchanan said. “I do not think we really played our game. We were not the team that we have seen in practice the last few days. One match does not define who we are but we have to come out with better energy than we did today.”
Idaho was swept in the opening match, with the closest score 25-23 in the set one loss.
Santa Clara started the first set on a 5-0 run. Even though Idaho would put on two late-runs of its own, the Broncos were able to survive with a two-point win. Kills from Straw and junior outside hitter Sarah Sharp, along with two aces from freshman defensive specialist Maura Donovan, put Idaho in winning position at 23-all. But the Vandals were unable to close the comeback.
In the second, Idaho never trailed by more than two points until the 9-8 mark, at which time the Broncos went on a 10-2 run, effectively distancing themselves and leading to a 25-16 win.
Idaho took a 17-16 lead in the third behind kills from Sharp and Straw, but Santa Clara eventually would go on a 9-1 run to put the match away.
Junior setter Haylee Mathis was just three digs shy of a double-double, finishing with 27 assists and seven digs. Straw and Sharp each tallied nine kills and junior outside hitter Alycia Wodke had a match-high 39 assists.
The Vandals had a few short hours to prepare for their next opponent, a 7-2 San Jose State team. Although the Spartans totaled more kills, Idaho earned a 25-22, 25-19, 27-25 sweep, largely due to its 10 errors compared to 31 for San Jose State and 16 blocks compared to 31 for San Jose State. The 16 blocks mark the most Idaho has had in a match since 2014, when it recorded 19 against Portland State.
Senior middle-blocker Torrin Crawford set the tone with a career-high 11 blocks. She also assisted on 10 blocks, becoming the first Vandals since 2010 to reach that mark.
The first two sets featured 14 ties and eight total lead changes, but kills from Crawford, Mathis and Straw in the second set contributed to a late 6-0 run, closing the match at 25-19.
Idaho hit .286 in the final set, its best offensive showing of the match. One of Straw’s five kills in the set led to a 24-22 lead, but the Spartans were able to fight off three match points and take a 25-24 lead. The Vandals closed out the set on a 3-0 run.
“It was huge for us to be able to finish in three,” Buchanan said. “The environment in there was hot, small gym and a loud crowd. The fact we could stay in it and not allow it to go into four was huge.”
Idaho kept up with ninth-ranked Kansas on Saturday, committing only 12 errors compared to 24 for the Jayhawks, hitting .250 compared to .272 for KU.
Neither team trailed by more than four points in the first two sets. A kill from Straw and an ace from Mathis gave Idaho a 21-20 lead in the first, but KU went on a 5-2 run to close out the set.
The teams went tit for tat largely in the second — when Idaho scored, so did Kansas. Kills from Straw and junior middle-blocker DeVonne Ryter put Idaho up 21-18. A combined block from junior outside hitter Reece Carman and Crawford clinched a 25-21 win.
The Jayhawks outhit Idaho .385 to .214 in the third set for an easy 25-15 victory.
The Vandals started slow in the fourth, but eventually were able to get within sight of the Jayhawks at 20-15. Kansas reached match-point a few moments later at 24-21, but strong defense and a Carman kill tied the match at 24. Kansas escaped with a win after earning the final two points.
Carman and Rytter added 10 and nine kills, respectively, to go along with Straw’s 17. Carman also recorded six blocks on the match and Mathis again racked up the assists, totaling 38.
Buchanan that she feels the team has gained pre-season experience necessary to be successful in the Big Sky.
“The team feels really good about today,” Buchanan said. “Our goal in the preseason is not to be 10-0 and blow through everybody. We want to be challenged.”
Idaho will open up conference play with a matchup against Montana State 7 p.m. Thursday in the Memorial Gym.
Colton Clark can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @coltonclark95