University of Northern Colorado Athletics
University of Northern Colorado
3-2,10-7
Idaho State
4-1,10-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Colorado | 24 | 25 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 3 |
| Idaho State | 26 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
Volleyball Earns Five-Set Road Victory Against Idaho State
10/10/2014 10:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Northern Colorado volleyball team defeated Idaho State in five sets Friday, picking up the team’s first win against the Bengals since downing them in a five-set match to determine the winner of the 2012 Big Sky Conference Championship.
POCATELLO, Idaho — The Northern Colorado volleyball team defeated Idaho State in five sets Friday, picking up the team's first win against the Bengals since downing them in a five-set match to determine the winner of the 2012 Big Sky Conference Championship.
Friday's victory (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10) gives the Bears their 10th of the season and pushes their Big Sky record to 3-2. The loss gives Idaho State its first in the Big Sky this season.
Neither team hit particularly well in the match, as Northern Colorado posted a .148 percentage while the Bengals hit just .105.
"It was a great team win tonight, both teams played great defense," said head coach Lyndsey Oates. "It came down to just a few plays here or there."
Junior outside hitter Kendra Cunningham again led the Bears in kills, recording 16 and pairing them with 13 digs to notch her 10th double-double of the season.
Middle blockers Brianna Strong and Andrea Spaustat each had a dozen kills and added six and four total blocks, respectively.
Sophomore setter Ashley Guthrie totaled 45 assists and finished one kill and one dig shy of her second career triple-double. She and Spaustat led all players with two service aces each.
The first set featured 15 ties and eight lead changes before Idaho State finally came out ahead with a 26-24 win. Northern Colorado's defense found its legs in the second and third sets, holding ISU to hitting percentages of .026 and -.017, respectively, as the Bears built a 2-1 lead in the match.
Idaho State forced a decisive fifth set in the match after dominating the fourth set, amassing an 11-point lead at one point. Northern Colorado was held to .067 hitting in the set.
The Bears secured the win after limiting ISU to just four kills and a .067 mark in the final set.
"I am proud of our team after game four battling back. We were able to change the momentum going into game five" Oates said.
Defensively, Northern Colorado totaled 11 blocks and recorded the second-highest number of digs in a match this season at 72. Meagan Garcia led all players with 26, tying her career- and season-high from Sept. 25 against the University of Idaho.
The Bears (10-7, 3-2 Big Sky) now travel south on I-15 to Ogden, Utah to face Weber State at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats (4-11, 1-4) lost at home Friday in straight sets to North Dakota.
