A battle against the Bengals

Weber State Women’s Volleyball Mid-game on Sept. 17. (Kris Beck)

After a close back-and-forth matchup, Weber State University’s volleyball team claimed victory over Idaho State University, winning 3–2.

Idaho State began the game serving. The Wildcats struggled as the Bengals put four points on the board before Weber State was able to score. Middle blocker Saane Katoa gave the Wildcats their first points of the match by spiking an Idaho State serve.

Halfway into the first set the Wildcats seemed to find their rhythm, but Idaho State was still dominating, getting multiple kills in a row. With the Bengals up 15–11, the Wildcats called a timeout.

Turning things around, Weber State tied the set at 16–16 when Idaho State attempted an attack and hit the ball out of bounds.

After rallying back, outside hitter Dani Richins sent an attack to Idaho State that made it just inside the line, giving the Wildcats the lead for the first time in the set.

Both teams continued to go back and forth, changing leads until the Wildcats started to pull away.

The first set ended in a Weber State victory with a final score of 25–20.

Idaho State got the first point of the second set, but Weber State quickly put a point on the scoreboard.

Dani Richins delivered an ace, bringing the Wildcats the lead at the beginning of the set. However, Idaho State tied up the set after hitting two kills in a row, leaving the game at 4–4.

After rallying again, the Bengals took the lead for the first time in the second set. Idaho State went on a 4–0 scoring run to pull away from Weber State.

Although the Wildcats continued to fight and came close to making a comeback, Idaho State continued to get kills. On top of that, the Wildcats had a violation called on them, which resulted in an extra point for the Bengals.

Idaho State dominated the rest of the set, maintaining the lead by a significant amount and ending with a 25–16 win.

The third set started off with Idaho State immediately taking the lead and keeping it for the remainder of the set.

Towards the end of the third set Weber State started to gain some momentum, but it wasn’t enough to get ahead, with Idaho State winning 25–19.

The fourth set began with a tight back-and-forth battle. The teams were tied 4–4 until Weber State’s middle blocker, Bailey Bodily hit two kills, putting the Wildcats up.

With teams tied up again at 6–6, setter Kate Standifird ended the standstill by blocking a hit from Idaho State, giving Weber State the lead again.

The match remained close till the Wildcats came out on top 25–22.

The battle for first to 15 began during the final set, where Wildcat middle blocker Brielle Rueckert put the first point on the board.

The Wildcats held their lead throughout the entire set, with the final play being made by opposite Emma Magnum, giving the Wildcats a 15–10 win.

Weber State will hit the road to Cheney to take on Eastern Washington University at 7 p.m. on Oct. 6.