Idaho’s thrilling season came to a disappointing end Saturday after a run to the Big Sky championship game.
The Vandals were swept three sets to none at the hands of top-seeded Northern Arizona. The win secures a conference title for the Lumberjacks and they will move on to the NCAA Tournament.
Each set started out as an even competition, but Northern Arizona asserted dominance when it mattered most.
After NAU cruised to a seven-point win in the first set, the Vandals’ best shot to swing the momentum came in the second set, when they managed to force a 14-14 tie. Idaho could not string together more than two points in a row throughout the set, eventually falling 25-19 in the second set and creating a nearly impossible situation to climb out of.
The Lumberjacks kept the pressure on, building a nine-point lead at 14-5. Idaho eventually cut the lead to five before a Northern Arizona timeout recaptured the momentum for the Lumberjacks. The Vandals would score only four more points coming out of the timeout as NAU secured a 25-18 win in the final set.
Senior libero Alycia Wodke smiles at the crowd after beating Idaho State in Memorial Gym.
Much of Idaho’s struggles came from a struggle-filled day on offense. Only one player hit better than .200, as freshman middle blocker Nikki Ball hit .500 with three kills and three blocks. Senior outside hitter Sarah Sharp was the only Vandal to post double-digit points thanks to 12 kills and four blocks, but she also tied for the team lead with five attack errors. Reece Carman, DeVonne Ryter and Kaela Straw each had at least four attack errors, stunting Idaho’s offense. As a team, the Vandals hit .153 throughout the match.
Senior setter Haylee Mathis performed at her usual level, tallying 33 assists and a team-high 11 digs. Senior libero Alycia Wodke added 10 digs.
NAU leaned on strong performances from Kaylie Jorgensen and Ryann Davis. Jorgensen led all players with 15 kills and 16 digs, while Davis added 11 kills and three blocks for the Lumberjacks. Northern Arizona ends the season on a 13-match winning streak including a stretch of nine straight sets won to sweep the Big Sky Tournament.
The loss ends a historic season in which Idaho went 15-3 in conference play and 11-1 at home. It was the most successful regular season of head coach Debbie Buchanan’s 19-year tenure at Idaho and the third year in a row in which the Vandals were ousted by the eventual conference champions.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker