Box Score
Big Sky Tournament Central
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 19, 2015) – Cobwebs, jitters, rust; call it what you want, but Idaho State more than shook it off. The Bengals rallied from two sets down to knock off Eastern Washington 3-2 in Thursday’s Big Sky Volleyball quarterfinals, advancing to face Idaho in the semifinals.
Tressa Lyman tallied 21 kills and 11 digs, Makenzie Filer had 12 kills with five blocks and Hayley Farrer dished 53 assists to go with 10 digs and six kills. No. 3 seed ISU (22-9) battled back from a tough pair of opening sets, hitting over .400 in the final two sets.
The Bengals committed 19 attack errors early, but had just eight in the last three sets. Chloe Hirst chipped in 11 kills, 12 digs and three service aces, while Bailey Bars had seven kills and a match-high 14 digs.
In a tightly contested first set that featured 12 ties and five lead changes, both teams fought off set points before EWU scored the last three points to take the set 28-26. The Eagles carried that momentum into the second set, containing ISU to .053 hitting and leading by as much as 10 on the way to a 25-17 decision and a 2-0 lead in the match.
With its back against the wall, Idaho State looked even stronger from then on and not like a team that was a set loss away from its season ending.
The Bengals rolled to a 25-12 win in the third set, and toted a .538 hitting percentage on the way to a 25-13 victory in the fourth to keep the match alive. The domination continued for ISU in the fifth as they pushed out to a 12-4 lead. EWU made a late run to cut the score to 13-9, but a pair of kills from Filer completed the rally for the Bengals.
The Eagles (14-14) saw their first trip to the Big Sky tournament since 2011 cut short. Sixth-seeded EWU had a 12-9 advantage in blocking, but was held to .152 hitting. Ana Jakovljevic paced EWU with 12 kills and 12 digs, while Allie Schumacher added 11 and seven with five blocks.
Idaho State will face Idaho in the quarterfinals Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Bengals will be eyeing their fourth-straight spot in a Big Sky Championship match. ISU swept the Vandals in Pocatello just under a month ago.