Idaho begins a month-long road trip with a jaunt over to Southern California for the Pepperdine/CSUN Classic.
After finishing 2-1 in the Idaho Volleyball Invitational, the Vandals will get three more exciting matchups to augment team chemistry and prepare for Big Sky play later in the fall. Idaho will face off against Pepperdine University, California State University-Northridge and University of North Texas.
Each match should provide a unique challenge for head coach Debbie Buchanan and her team.
Pepperdine started the season with a 1-2 showing at the Panther Challenge, and the Waves are led by a multifaceted offensive attack. Pepperdine is averaging 15.6 kills per set and 14.5 assists per set, good for ninth and 11th across the nation.
The Waves have relied on sophomore outside hitter Shannon Scully, who averaged 4.6 kills per set in Pepperdine’s first action. Idaho is 2-0 against the Waves, with matches played in 1983 and 2004. The Vandals won in four sets in both meetings.
Head coach Debbie Buchanan talks to the team during a timeout against Grand Canyon University Saturday in Memorial Gym.
CSUN also started their season 1-2 at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento. Senior outside hitter Aeryn Owens paced the Matadors with 4.08 kills per set on a .343 hitting percentage throughout the tournament. She is a fixture for CSUN, having led or tied for the team lead in kills in 26 of their 28 matches last season. Idaho and CSUN are former Big West Rivals, with plenty of history in the ‘90s and prior.
North Texas dominated the start of their season, sweeping the North Texas Invitational without losing a single set. They did fall to No. 12 Baylor earlier this week, but the Mean Green remain a force to be reckoned with. The trio of senior setter Karley York, sophomore outside hitter Barbara Teakell and sophomore outside hitter Valerie Valerian all made the all-tournament team, with York being additionally honored as the MVP.
In spite of the stiff competition, the Vandals should be more than capable of holding their own.
Senior outside hitter Kaela Straw was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for her remarkable performance in the Idaho Volleyball Classic. When all was said and done, Straw had averaged 4.46 kills per set and a .420 hitting percentage over the week, both best in the Big Sky.
Idaho also has plenty of firepower behind Straw, led by a strong senior class. Senior setter Haylee Mathis and senior outside hitter Sarah Sharp were also named to the All-Tournament team along with Straw. Mathis averaged 10.77 assists per set, including 57 in Idaho’s 5-set marathon against New Mexico. Sharp had 45 kills in three matches, including a dominant performance of 15 kills in only three sets against Santa Clara.
Idaho starts the Pepperdine/CSUN Challenge against Pepperdine 6 p.m. Friday in Malibu. The Vandals will face CSUN 5 p.m. Saturday in Northridge, and the team will finish out the trip against North Texas Sunday at 10 a.m. in Malibu.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker