Idaho is touring from the north to the south along the coast to defend their second place standing in the Big Sky Volleyball Conference.
The Vandals are back on the road after a clean sweep last Saturday with high momentum and a strong mindset to take on the Sacramento State Hornets (6-4) and the Portland State Vikings (4-6).
Season thus far:
The Vandals have secured a second place seed this season and have torn up most teams through a strong and varying offence. Utilizing not only the outside, or pin hitters, but also the middles is a strategy Head Coach Debbie Buchanan has used this entire season.
Idaho starts to struggle when they can not get their middles rolling, as Vandal fans saw last week against the Weber State Wildcats who overtook them in five sets.
The Vandals with a home crowd behind them, then swept the Idaho State Bengals in three sets to build up the momentum for the tough competition this week.
Sacramento State:
The Hornets and the Vandals have met on the court once this season, ending in five sets with the Vandals on top at home. The home crowd will be cheering the other way as Idaho battles the Hornets on their home court.
The Hornets feature senior outside hitter Sarah Davis who has over one third of the team’s kills this season. Idaho’s front row will have a big job to try and shut down Davis and control the net.
Sacramento state is currently in a four-way tie for third seed in the Big Sky after taking a loss last week to Montana State. The Vandals will have their work cut out for them to make sure to defend their second-place seed against the Hornets.
Portland State:
Idaho started off conference play with a 3-0 sweep against the Vikings, who are currently in a tie for fifth overall.
The Vandals know how to play this team and how to beat them if they don’t let off the gas and push through, although this should be a statistical win.
Portland state has three leading scorers all with over 200 points this season, all of which are outside hitters. This implies a pin heavy offense, which Idaho plays against well and can predict.
When/Where:
Idaho plays Sacramento State 7 p.m. Thursday and Portland State 7 p.m. Saturday. The Vandals then have two weeks at home where they will defend the Memorial Gym, where they have not lost a conference game yet.
Connor Swersey can be reached at [email protected]