There has been lots of commentary regarding Idaho’s experience coming into the season. When it was finally put to the test Friday, the Vandals performed well above even those lofty expectations.
Idaho swept Santa Clara University, 3-0. The Broncos challenged Idaho at the beginning of each set, but the Vandals responded with poise at every turn.
The much-hyped senior class made major contributions in their final home opener.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Sharp led all players with 15 kills on a .542 hitting percentage, including seven kills in the first set to help set the tone for Idaho.
Senior middle blocker DeVonne Ryter contributed five kills and assisted on three blocks, including a block that finished a 6-0 run for the Vandals in the second set. Senior outside hitter Kaela Straw added 12 kills of her own.
Much of Idaho’s success came from a severe disproportionality in attack errors. The Vandals finished with seven errors on the match, while Santa Clara surpassed that total in the first set alone. The Broncos finished with 22 errors to only 29 kills, good for a .079 hitting percentage on the match.
The Vandals did have one brief moment of uncertainty at the end of the third set. After reaching a 24-14 set point, Idaho conceded a 5-0 run to allow the Broncos to pull within five. Idaho Head coach Coach Debbie Buchanan called a timeout after the fourth unanswered point to help the team regroup. Santa Clara was finally undone by a culminating attack error from junior Ngozi Nwabuzoh.
Buchanan inserted plenty of new faces to supplement the team’s older leadership.
Sophomore defensive specialist Shannon Casale started for Idaho and tallied two assists and digs, and added an ace in the third set. Casale transferred to Idaho after spending one season at University of Montana, where she played a significant role for the Grizzlies as a freshman.
Freshman middle blocker Kennedy Warren showed out in her collegiate debut, totaling nine kills, third best among all players. Warren will be one of the players Buchanan utilizes to replace Torrin Crawford’s production.
The Vandals will play two more matches in the Idaho Volleyball Classic, facing Grand Canyon University at 12:30 p.m. and University of New Mexico at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the Memorial Gym.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker