@UNCBearsVB Falls Just Short in Five Set Battle Against Idaho State

Thursday, October 8

Greeley, Colo.

7:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

6-12, 2-3Big Sky

Idaho State

13-6, 5-0Big Sky

Idaho State

Northern Colorado

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

10/8/2015 11:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Northern Colorado volleyball fell to Idaho State in a tough five set match

By: Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – When Northern Colorado (6-12, 2-3 Big Sky) and Idaho State (13-6, 5-0 Big Sky) volleyball have faced each other in the past three years they have provided fans with an entertaining match. Thursday night inside Bank of Colorado Arena followed that script as the Bengals defeated the Bears in a hard fought five set match. The match featured 26 ties and eight lead changes, and was defined by big runs.

"It was an up and down match for us. We would have rhythm and then at other times we wouldn't," head coach Lyndsey Oates said. "Some of that has to do with their aggressive serving, but I thought we could have battled against that a little better."

In the match, Idaho State doubled Northern Colorado 6-3 in serving aces.

"Our serving wasn't as tough as it should have been and that was really the big story of this match. When we were serving aggressively we could get them out of system, but when we served them those easier serves they would come at us fast and usually get that first swing kill," Oates said. "Hopefully we learned our lesson with that and can serve aggressively all the time."

Northern Colorado was led by their senior trio of Kendra Cunningham, Katie Champion and Meagan Garcia. Cunningham and Champion both finished with double-digit kills, 18 and 11, respectively. While Garcia led the way in digs with 15. Cunningham added in 13 digs herself for her eighth double-double of the season.

"Katie is playing like a senior now, and definitely has the confidence of a senior out on the court," said Oates of Champion. "She gives us the ability to move her around and create match ups that will help us win."

Ashley Guthrie also recorded a double-double in the match with 41 assists and 13 digs. She achieved a career moment with her 3,000th career assist coming in the match.

Idaho State drew first blood taking the first set 25-19. Both teams traded points back and forth to open the match, until the Bengals went on a 12-6 run to close out the set.

In the second set UNC responded though, coming out hot with an early 5-2 lead. ISU battled back into it to take an 18-14 lead. That's when UNC made its move. Behind tough serving from Champion, Emily O'Neil and Cunningham, UNC closed out the set on a 12-6 run of their own to take it 26-24.

The final point of the set was a kill by Champion, and the 3,000th assist in Guthrie's career, tying the match up at one apiece going to the break.

Just like the second set, Northern Colorado got out to a quick start with a 4-1 run in the third. Once again the Bengals battled back tying the set up at seven. That's when the Bears took over with an 8-4 run. Cunningham led the charge for UNC during the 25-20 set win, with six of her 18 kills coming during it.

With their backs against the wall down two sets to one, ISU fought hard in the fourth set. The teams traded the first 14 points of the it, before Idaho State went on a 4-0 to give them just enough of a lead to win the set 25-20 and force a decisive fifth set.

"We figured out there game a little bit during those middle sets and they adjusted well to us after that third set," Cunningham said.

In the fifth set the teams split the first six points, before the Bengals had the ball bounce their way a couple times during a 5-0 run. The Bears wouldn't back down though, responding with a 4-0 run of their own to close the gap to 8-7. That is as close as they could get though.

"I thought the fifth set we came out well and then we didn't get a bounce our way here and there that put us in a hole. We didn't give up though and fought back well," said Oates. "We just didn't execute well enough during it late and that was the difference."

UNC battled hard until the end, but ISU would end up taking the fifth set 15-11 and match 3-2.

"This was a growing match for us," Oates said. "We don't mind losing a match like this one now as long as we grow and learn from it so when we face a team like this again we have improved and can win that match."

Northern Colorado will look to take the lessons learned in this hard fought match and rebound against Weber State on Saturday afternoon at Bank of Colorado Arena.