Written by Jon Match
The Orange and Black open the season in Salt Lake City at The University of Utah for an exhibition match on August 10, they then return to Davis for two more exhibitions against Salt Lake City and Northwest Nazarene.
The season officially gets underway August 18 as the Bengals host Westminster in Pocatello.
After the homestand, the Bengals hit the road for a long road trip. Between August 21 and Sept. 11 the Bengals will face off against Utah State, Austin Peay, Lipscomb, Utah Valley Utah Tech and UNLV.
Sept. 18 the Bengals are back home for one match before the start of conference play when they face the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Pocatello.
Big Sky Conference play opens with a road trip north with matches against EWU and Idaho.
Oct. 2, the Bengals come home for a single game against NAU before hitting the road again to take on Portland State and Sacramento State Oct. 7-9.
After the road trip, the Orange and Black return home for the final three games of the regular season, first hosting Weber State on Oct. 16 before Montana and Northern Colorado come to Pocatello, Oct. 21 and 23.
The Big Sky Championships take place Nov. 4-8
Follow along at ISUbengals.com to keep up to date with the team and don’t forget to follow on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Coach Downey’s Thoughts on the Schedule:
“I'm looking forward to the competition we have lined up. “We've got some challenging non-conference matches listed that will test us, but simultaneously help prepare us for conference play. To be the best, you have to play the best. For example, this is why in our first exhibition match we're coming straight out of the gate and playing a PAC-12 opponent. We need to test ourselves early and see what things we are excelling in, and where we need to improve.
It's fair to say we've got a young team. Of course, we always want to win, but overall, it's about teaching these players how to compete, and how to go into battle together as a team, as one unit. If we can learn to play for each other, we'll be a tough team to play against.
I'm excited and looking forward to seeing the team play this Fall, and I've heard great things about the support in Pocatello! Our team is going to give our best efforts to perform for the ISU fanbase, and will play hard to give our fans something to ROAR about!”
