The second half of Idaho’s longest homestand of the season started out well, with more excitement to come later in the week.
The Vandals easily dispatched Eastern Washington Tuesday night, three sets to none. It was the second match of the year between the two teams picked to finish first and last, respectively, in the preseason poll.
The Eagles were unable to make a dent in the Vandals’ momentum throughout their first matchup in Cheney and a packed Memorial Gym ensured there would be no chance for an upset. Idaho raced out to a 16-7 lead in the first set behind disciplined play and three service aces early in the set.
Eastern Washington managed to cut the deficit all the way down to one at 23-22 after a kill by Kamille Langford, but a pair of kills from senior middle blockers Reece Carman and DeVonne Ryter sealed the first set for the Vandals.
The second and third sets followed different patterns, but ended with wider wins for Idaho. Eastern Washington raced out to a 9-5 lead to start the set, but Idaho fought back and eventually put together a 6-0 run to take back a lead it would not relinquish. The Vandals pushed the lead all the way to nine at a 24-15 set point before the Eagles mounted a comeback, but senior setter Haylee Mathis extinguished their hopes with a kill.
Idaho secured a 10-point lead on three different points in the third set, thorough- ly outclassing Eastern Washington in the process. The Vandals once again had trouble finishing out the set and allowed a 4-0 run right at the end, but an attack error finished the night for the Eagles.
In spite of the sweep, Eastern Washington actually out-blocked the Vandals 9-6. Idaho took the advantage in nearly every other statistical category, including a remarkable eight service aces and a .263 hitting percentage.
Ryter led the Vandals with 12 kills, two aces and three blocks to go along with a .440 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Sarah Sharp tallied 10 kills and also came up with three blocks. Carman was second on the team with a .421 hitting percentage and added nine kills for Idaho.
On Friday, the Vandals will take on Northern Colorado in what should be a more competitive matchup. The Bears are currently tied for third in the Big Sky with a 5-3 conference record and will play back- to-back matches in Moscow and Cheney on their current road trip.
Idaho swept its first match with the Bears back in September. Since then, Northern Colorado has played mostly solid volleyball including its current two-match win streak. The Bears are led by senior outside hitter Kortney Lockey, who is currently fifth in the Big Sky with 3.43 kills per set.
The Bears are a decent defensive team, allowing only a .191 opponents’ hitting per- centage, but they could be no match for the Vandals at the net. The Bears rank dead last in the Big Sky in blocks with 1.21 per set and that played to Idaho’s advantage in the first meeting as the Vandals took an 8-4 advantage in blocks.
Idaho will play Northern Colorado 7 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Memorial Gym.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker