Press Release courtesy of Idaho Athletics
Idaho (12-7, 7-1) closes out the homestand with a pair of matches against the two top teams in the Big Sky South. Sacramento State (17-7, 8-0) comes in as the top team in the conference. Portland State (15-5, 6-2) sits second in the south.
Idaho has split the series with the Hornets with each side having three wins. The Hornets swept the Vandals last year in Sacramento. Kaela Straw was Idaho’s top offensive provider with eight kills. The Vandals struggled on offense overall, hitting just .092.
The Vandals and Vikings went four sets last season in Portland. The Vikings proved to be the victors on their home-court. Sarah Sharp led Idaho with 15 kills. Haylee Mathis had a double-double with 19 assists and 15 digs. The Vikings have a 16-4 hold on the all-time series.
Quotable: “We are doing everything the right way. If we play Idaho volleyball and go out there to compete–we are going to put ourselves in position to do some great things.” – Head coach Debbie Buchanan
Fast Facts
• The Vandals are 7-1 in conference play for the first time since 1996
• Ranked 24th in the NCAA with 2.70 blocks/set
• Ranked 39th in the NCAA with .255 hitting percentage
• Fourth in the Big Sky with 1.38 aces/set
• Idaho has seven sweeps on the season. The Vandals had six combined over the last two seasons
• 2-0 in 5-set matches this season. Played eight 5-set matches in 2016, the most since 2012 (10)
• The Vandals have not lost a match after winning the first set (10-0)
STREAKING: Idaho has won five straight matches for the first time since 2015. Idaho’s last six-match streak came in 2013
TOP GUNS: Idaho leads the Big Sky in hitting percentage with a .255 mark (39th NCAA)
TWO ZERO: Idaho is 9-0 on the season when leading 2-0
SWING AWAY: Idaho’s 72 kills against NAU marked a season-high
NET SUCCESS: Idaho is second in the conference with 2.69 blocks per set in Big Sky play, totaling 120 blocks in 29 sets
DEFENSE: Idaho is third the Big Sky with a .198 opponent hitting percentage
About Sacramento State: The Hornets’ 8-0 Big Sky record matches the program’s best start since 2007. The Hornets have won 16 consecutive regular season Big Sky matches, dating back to last season. Sac State defeated Southern Utah and Northern Arizona last week. Junior Mikaela Nocetti was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts. She averaged. 5.86 kills, 3.86 digs, 0.57 blocks and hit .400 percent on the week. All-Time Series: Tied, 3-3; Last Meeting: L, 1-3
About Portland State: The Vikings split a pair of home matches last week against Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. PSU dropped its opening match, 3-1, to the Lumberjacks before bouncing back with a sweep of SUU. The Vikings’ 15-5 overall record matches its best (2007) since moving to DI. PSU is led by Caitlin Betteany and herconferencebest 4.12 kills per set. She ranks 35th in the nation in that category. Betteany is also tops in the Big Sky with 4.60 points perset. All-Time Series: PSU, 16-4; Last Meeting: L, 1-3
High Stakes: This week’s matches could play a major role in deciding the host site for the 2017 Big Sky Tournament. The team with the best conference record earns the No. 1 seed and hosting rights to the tournament. The Vandals last hosted the Big Sky Tournament in 1995.
Follow: Links to the live stats can be found in the links above. All BigSky matches are streamed online or on Pluto TV. Fans can also follow along live on Twitter, @IdahoVolleyball.
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