Idaho volleyball finished out the week winless in Memorial Gym.
After a three-set loss on Thursday night, the Vandals hoped to find redemption on their home court Saturday afternoon. In another three-set sweep, Idaho fell to the Portland State Vikings 25-11, 25-22 and 25-19.
The Vikings took hold of the Vandals from the very first point of the match. An overpass resulting in a Portland State kill set the tone for the rest of the game. Strong serving and exceptional setting by the Vikings led to a dominant set one win.
A switch in lineup from Idaho Head Coach Chris Gonzalez put the Vandals within striking distance during set two. Team chemistry, setter-hitter trust and decisive kills put Idaho in the lead 19-15. However, they couldn’t hold on for long.
The Vikings came back from the four-point deficit to win the second match and then easily took the third.
This loss puts the Vandals at 1-17 and 0-6 in conference. Portland State gave the Vandals their 11th swept loss of the season. The numbers haven’t lied all season, and Gonzalez said the team’s deficits were exposed this afternoon.
“In the first set, they (Portland State) smothered us in all of the systems,” Gonzalez said. “Clearly, we are undersized. There are just some things we are physically unable to counter at this point.”
Portland State’s middles dominated the net, forcing the Vandals to use different sets than they hoped to. Instead of setting power outside Taryn Vrieling, the Vandals tried using a setter dump, backrow attacks and middle hits to keep the ball in the center of the court, Gonzalez said. But even those attempts proved unsuccessful.
The Vandals finished the game with a .097 hitting percentage, compared to the Vikings’ .267 conversion rate. Portland State’s controlled serving resulted in nine aces when the Vandals could only produce four.
“The goal always is to win,” Gonzalez said. “They (Portland State) are better than we are, just like Sac (Sacramento State) is better than we are.”
Vrieling’s 13 kills and sophomore libero Aine Doty’s 19 digs were not enough to give the Vandals their first conference win and second win of the entire season.
Idaho is still looking for its success story. They hope to find a few wins, even though they are few and far between more than halfway through the season.
Idaho volleyball is back on the road next week, facing the Montana Griz at 6 p.m. on Oct. 12 and the Montana State Bobcats at 11 a.m. on Oct. 14.
Joanna Hayes can be reached at [email protected]