Vandal volleyball moved to 1-16 this season after its loss to Big Sky conference leaders Sacramento State (11-7) in Memorial Gym tonight.
Sacramento State, who is undefeated in conference, played a nearly perfect game. The Hornets took three straight sets from the Vandals, leaving the Idaho team winless in the Big Sky.
With a .488 team hitting percentage, and senior outside hitter Bridgette Smith ending the game with 21 kills, the Hornets left little room for the Vandals to gain momentum. Idaho Head Coach Chris Gonzalez said the Hornets were extremely efficient, something that the Vandals didn’t know how to handle.
“We had a very minimal number of unforced errors,” Gonzalez said. “They just converted at a really high rate.”
The Vandals lost 25-16, 25-17 and 25-12. Even though they are yet to find a second win, Gonzalez said the team is improving. With 13 new players coming from across the United States, Turkey, Poland and Mexico, the Vandals are struggling to find chemistry, or as Gonzalez puts it, a similar language.
He said the team’s numbers are improving and their skills are improving, they are just looking to find the right organization on the court. Gonzalez said that the Hornets are the best team in the conference and played with that kind of confidence.
Sophomore outside hitter Taryn Vrieling agreed with her coach.
“We weren’t ready for their powerful hitters. They are a very united team. When they function so well together, it’s hard to pick them apart,” Vrieling said.
Vrieling ended the night with nine kills, 12 kills shy of the Hornets’ leading attacker. The Vandals struggled to keep up with Sacramento State’s lightning offense. The fast-paced team leaned heavily on its two senior middle hitters who converted hits into kills more than half the time.
The quick middle set proved impenetrable for the Vandal defense, and the consistent outside set left Vandal middle blockers in the dust.
“They are probably the fastest offense we have played. That just means that we need to speed up what we do and stay calm on our side,” Vrieling said. “They caught us off guard. Our blocks were a little bit late and that caused our defense to struggle.”
The Hornets’ fast-paced offense and united defense overpowered any Vandal efforts. Simple miscommunication, slow transitions and late blocks left Idaho trailing the entire three sets. Gonzalez reiterated that he believes his team is improving, despite a winless conference record.
“It’s important they (the team) understand they are getting better. We are trying to keep it positive. I’m trying to find the positives and then build from there,” Gonzalez said.
He said that positivity is crucial because of this weekend’s quick turnaround schedule. The Vandals hope to find a win on Saturday against Portland St., even though they seem to be lost in a winless desert.
Idaho will face the Vikings at 1 p.m. in Memorial Gym to kick-off homecoming festivities.
Joanna Hayes can be reached at [email protected]