Falling in five sets to Eastern Washington on Oct. 28 and in three to Idaho State on Oct. 29, WSU volleyball is focusing on what they are doing right, how they can fix what’s wrong and forgetting the rest.
The weekend’s first game took place in Cheney, Washington. The match was a close, but Weber State pulled out the win in the first set with a score of 25–23.
However, the Eagles responded in the second set. After a four-point run in the middle of the set, they maintained their lead and won 25–20.
It was evident that neither team would back down.
Weber took charge early in the third set with a five-point run. Later in the set, the Eagles put up their own run of six, tying at 11 points apiece.
The Wildcats responded with another five-point run and won the set 25-20, giving them a 2-1 lead in the game.
The fourth set was a shootout, full of long rallies and close finishes. Eastern Washington ran away and won the set 25–17, tying the game up 2–2.
The fifth set in college volleyball is won by 15 points, as opposed to the normal 25, and both teams felt the pressure to take control early.
Eastern Washington did just that. After a 6–1 Eagles run, the Wildcats simply didn’t have time to catch up.
Weber was back at home on Oct. 29 to take on Idaho State.
With a large crowd, including 16 Weber State volleyball alumni who were honored at the game, the Wildcats needed all the support they could get as they faced ISU, who had only dropped three Big Sky Conference games this season.
From the first point, Idaho State commanded the floor. The Bengals began the game with a 10–1 run, and they never gave up their lead. With 16 kills in the first set, Idaho State won with a score of 25–15.
The second set was much closer. Weber tied the game at two points apiece but couldn’t quite catch up after that.
Although WSU brought the score to within two points near the end of the set, Idaho State took the second set 25–19. This gave ISU a 2–0 lead in the game and put the Wildcats’ backs against the wall.
Weber responded in the third set, taking their first lead of the night early on. Idaho State then went on a 10–2 run to bring the score to 19–10, forcing a Wildcat timeout.
Weber came out of that timeout swinging and went on their own 12–1 run. With a 22–21 lead, the Wildcats then battled back and forth with the Bengals. A three-point run tied the set at 24 apiece.
After four points from both sides, the Bengals won the set 27–25, winning the match 3–0.
Head coach Jeremiah Larsen said while Idaho State outmatched them, that didn’t mean the Wildcats didn’t play a good game.
“Our passion and our effort was good … We’re going to learn from it,” Larsen said. “We are going to forget about the loss and go attack Utah Valley on Tuesday.”
