tflagstad@journalnet.com

The rally seemingly wouldn't end.

With the score tied in Game 2 of Friday night's Big Sky volleyball match, Sacramento State came up with digs on what looked to be inevitable Idaho State kills, and the Bengals kept the ball in play several times while scrambling.

Eventually, Idaho State sophomore Jaclyn Hone saw her opening. While going up for a spike, she spotted a large piece of hardwood to the left of the Hornets' block, so she improvised in the air and went for the tip.

The ball never found the open space. It hit the net and bounced back toward Hone.

Rather than having a set point of their own, the Bengals now had to fight one off. Four points later, Sacramento State won the set, one in which Idaho State held a huge advantage early.

Such was the night for Idaho State. The Hornets sent the Bengals to a third-straight home defeat with a 25-17, 28-26, 25-20 victory.

"We need a home win," Idaho State sophomore setter Karissa Legaux said. "I don't know what it is about home. Normally we're really good at home like last season. We just need to use the fans' energy, step up and be aggressive."

The Bengals were well on their way to doing just that in the second set.

After a sluggish opening game, Idaho State (7-9, 3-4 Big Sky) jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the second set only to commit error upon error. After Bengals timeout and a 5-0 service run by Hornets freshman Janelle Currey, Sacramento State (10-9, 2-3) suddenly led 13-11.

"We got comfortable," senior outside hitter Haylee Thompson said. "That just can't happen. We let them have runs, and we didn't do anything to stop their runs."

Idaho State fought back to and had a set point at 25-24 but couldn't finish it out.

With that opportunity lost, the Bengals' chances in the match vanished.

Sacramento State jumped ahead 16-6 in the final set and then withstood a late Idaho State rally.

One of the main culprits of the slow start was the Bengals' inability to generate anything offensively in the first set. They finished the game with only seven kills coupled with seven attack errors, and the attack didn't pick up much as the match progressed.

"They probably watched film on us and knew our tendencies because they were covering a lot of our tendencies," Thompson said. "They seemed to be in the spots. They're scrappy, and they picked up a lot of balls."

Thanks to six kills in the final set, Hone led Idaho State with 11, while Thompson chipped in 10. Senior Emily Waldron, the Bengals' leading hitter, finished with just six.

Conversely, the Hornets' hard hitters frustrated the Bengals all night.

Senior Desiree Hoyum led the way for Sacramento State with 18 kills, while Currey finished with 14.

"We've gotta learn to block better," Idaho State coach Chad Teichert said. "During the very first of the year, we blocked better. We worked on it this week, and a few nights, we looked like we had it. Tonight, we did not block well at all."

A scary moment came in the final set when senior libero Paige Palmer fully extended while spectacularly keeping alive a rally. As she stretched out, though, her head cracked hard against the floor.

After a minute or so on the ground, Palmer walked back to the Bengals' huddle before ultimately leaving the match with a team-high 23 digs.

"She seems to be doing OK, and she says she's fine," said Teichert, noting Palmer likely suffered a concussion. "I hope they follow up on her. She smacked her head on the floor pretty hard."

Idaho State won't have long to sulk about the loss, as the Bengals will return to action at 7 tonight against Boise State at Reed Gym. It'll be a short respite from Big Sky play, and Idaho State hopes a visit from its rivals can help shake off the early doldrums at home, where the Bengals are 0-3.

"I'd like to think we're gonna dig deep," Teichert said, "and come compete tomorrow night."