Written by Jon Match
POCATELLO, Idaho – After a long 13 game non-conference schedule, the Idaho State volleyball team is set to open Big Sky Play this weekend with a home match against Northern Colorado and a road trip to Sacramento State.
First, the conference leading Bengals, take on the third-place UNC Bears in an exciting conference opener in Reed Gym. First Serve is set for Thursday, Sept. 22 at 6:00 PM.
Then, the Bengals hit the road to take on the Sacramento State Hornets at 8:00 PM MT on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Both Matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Live Stats will be available for both matches. The match against the Bears will also be broadcast on KISU 91.1 FM.
Bengal Bites
· Idaho State is currently sitting in first place in the conference standings with an 8-5 record. Montana is just behind at 7-5 and Northern Colorado and Weber State round out the top-three with a tied 6-5 record.
· The Bengals' 8 non-conference wins is the most since the 2015 season and the best non-conference winning percentage since 2012.
· The Bengals have held their opponents to the 2nd-lowest hitting percentage in the conference at .185
· Idaho State leads the Big Sky in digs with 871 averaging 16.13 per set.
· Emrie Satuala and Dani Devlin are eighth and ninth in the conference in hitting percentage at .306 and .301.
· Sadie Bluth is ranked sixth in the conference in kills with 174 averaging 3.22/set
· At the net, Emrie Satuala ranks fifth in the conference, blocking 1.04 per set.
· Asiah Sopoaga ranks third in the conference in digs with 3.84 digs per set average. Her 32 digs against Gonzaga tie her for first in single-game high digs this season in the Big Sky
· Emrie Satuala's nine blocks against UC Riverside tie her for third in single-game high blocks this season.
Quick Scout – UNC
· Northern Colorado had a strong start to the season sweeping North Carolina and beating Colorado State in Fort Collins. The Bears have picked up losses against Wichita State, Omaha and West Virginia.
· This is the 34th all-time meeting of the two programs. The Bears lead the series 21-12.
· The Bears come into the match with the No. 1 hitting percentage in the conference at .282 average.
· The Bears setter, Syd Cole ranks No. 1 in the conference in assists this season averaging 10.86/set.
· Cece Huhn ranks third in hitting percentage in the Big Sky at .350 over 42 sets played.
Quick Scout – Sac State
· Sac State comes into the match 4-8 on the season with wins against CSU Bakersfield, Sand Diego State, Saint Marys and common opponent Nevada.
· The Hornets lead the all time series 36-15 and Saturday's match will mark the 52nd meeting of the two programs.
· The series is split 1-1 in the previous two meetings with the Bengals previous victory being a five-set match almost a year ago to the day.
· The Hornets are averaging a .202 hitting percentage while holding opponents to .195.
· Sac State is strong on the net, averaging 2.4 blocks per set while holding opponents to 1.7. They are led by Tiyanane Kamaba-Griffin who leads the conference averaging 1.27 blocks per set.