Idaho’s final preseason tournament wasn’t perfect, and the Vandals have plenty to take away from it as they look towards Big Sky competition.
The team traveled to Cal State Fullerton for the Fullerton Classic, losing their first two matches and salvaging the third.
Idaho started with a tough match against the University of San Francisco. The Dons swept the Vandals in a match that was closer than the 3-0 result implies. Idaho managed to build a six-point lead in the first and second sets, but San Francisco managed to get hot at the right time and close out each set.
The Dons were in control for most of the third set, but Idaho whittled the deficit down to one at 21-20 toward the end of the match. San Francisco quickly put an end to things with a 4-1 run.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Sharp tips the ball against Santa Clara University Friday in Memorial Gym.
Neither team dominated statistically in what would be the first game of a double-header for both teams. Idaho managed only a .105 hitting percentage, their lowest of the year, and San Francisco could only hit .142 in spite of the win. Only one player tallied double-digit kills, and senior outside hitter Kaela Straw put up her second lowest kill count of the year with eight, the highest for the Vandals. Freshman middle blocker Nikki Ball led all players with six blocks.
Idaho’s luck improved marginally later in the afternoon as they played UC Riverside. The Vandals won two of the first three sets, but a 7-0 run to start the fourth ensured that a deciding fifth set would be played. Riverside did just enough to keep Idaho at bay, going on a 3-0 run to take a 13-11 run before icing the match.
Plenty of Vandals recorded impressive statistical days in the defeat. Senior outside hitters Reece Carman and Sarah Sharp each recorded double-figure kills, and Straw led the way with 19. Freshman middle blocker Kennedy Warren doubled Riverside’s block total by herself, tallying six blocks over the course of the match.
Idaho was on the receiving end of a historic day from the Highlanders’ senior outside hitter Kaiulani Ahuna. Her 34 kills are tied for second most in a match in program history, and Riverside had not seen a comparable performance in 20 years.
The Vandals bounced back from a tough day to win in four sets against Cal State Fullerton. Idaho dominated the first and final set with 25-17 final scores, and some drama kept things interesting in the second and third. The Titans won the second set in extra points, but the Vandals buckled down to capture a victory.
Carman and Sharp each contributed 15 kills in the win, and Warren once again provided a strong presence at the net with a career-high 11 blocks. In total, Idaho out-blocked Fullerton 17-4.
The Vandals have four more games on the road before returning to Memorial Gym. Idaho will open Big Sky Conference play with Eastern Washington at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Cheney, Washington.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker