Congratulations to the Idaho State women’s volleyball team on their big victory at Boise State on Saturday.

The Bengals have now won five in a row, they’re 7-2 overall and they continue to lead the nation in both total blocks and blocks per set.

Beating the Broncos on their home floor has to be a huge confidence builder for the Bengals, who are trying to put together their first winning season since 2018. It’s year No. 3 in the Sean Carter rebuild, and the Bengals don’t look anything like the team that finished 8-20 overall, 6-10 in the Big Sky Conference, a year ago.

I asked Carter what one thing his team is doing much better this season and, like a typical coach, he refused to point to just one area of improvement.

“Tied for first: blocking, setting/attacking,” he said. “All have been massive upgrades.”

The Bengals are No. 1 in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.255) and blocks (3.64 per set), No. 4 in assists (11.31 per set), No. 5 in kills (12.19 per set) and No. 6 in service aces (1.34) and digs (13.63).

Individually, middle blocker Marci Bell leads the conference in hitting percentage (.421), while Jamie Streit is eighth (.279). Setter Aliyah Sopo’aga is third in assists (7.88 per set). Sophomore Jaydin Watts has surpassed Bell as the conference leader in blocks, now averaging 1.76 per set, which is third in the nation. Bell is averaging 1.56 and now rates third in the league. Streit is sixth in the league in kills (3.03 per set), and Asiah Sopo’aga ranks eighth in digs (3.22 per set). Streit is sixth in the league in points (3.73 per set).

Despite their hot start, the Bengals are still a half game behind Northern Colorado for best record in the league. The Bears are 8-2 overall and have wins over Michigan State, Colorado, Colorado State and Air Force. Their only two losses were to power conference teams Florida and Ole Miss.

Idaho State will try to extend its five-game winning streak in a tournament at South Dakota State beginning Thursday, with a match against the host Jackrabbits at 6 p.m. (MDT).

THE HARWELL DECISIONPocatello native Isiah Harwell, ranked by various services as one of the top-20 high school basketball players in the country, announced his commitment to the University of Houston last week.

Harwell, the son of former Idaho State player Ron Harwell, is a senior at Wasatch Academy in northern Utah. The 6-foot-6-inch guard will enter college next year as the highest rated prep player born and raised in the state of Idaho. He played for Century High School as a freshman before transferring to Wasatch Academy prior to his sophomore season.

Harwell chose the Cougars over Cal, Texas and Gonzaga, all of whom he visited over the past several months. Last week before announcing his commitment, Ron Harwell posted photos on his Facebook page of Texas coach Rodney Terry, Gonzaga mentor Mark Few and Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson visiting the Harwell home in the Pocatello area.

Cal, meanwhile, was undoubtedly part of the discussion because of the presence of former Bengal Amorrow Morgan on the Bears coaching staff.

The Houston Chronicle described Harwell’s commitment to the Cougars as: “Sampson’s greatest recruiting victory yet.” Harwell was rated one of the top players in the country by just about every credible recruiting service in the country, and as the top shooting guard in the nation by several others.

Harwell told ESPN he chose Houston largely because of Sampson.

“Coach Sampson is a cool dude,” he said. “He knows what it takes for players to reach the next level.”

Harwell’s summer activity was interrupted by a knee injury. He said Houston’s consistent support of him after his injury played a role in his commitment.

“Houston was very consistent recruiting me during my injury and rehab,” he told ESPN. “On my visit, I got to spend a lot of time with the players and we ended up sitting around and they were talking about how they all arrived at Houston. Their culture is real.”

Houston has won over 30 games in each of the last three seasons, and has qualified for the NCAA tournament six of the last seven seasons.

HUNTER HAYS WATCH

We don’t know yet who Idaho State will start at quarterback on Saturday against Southern Utah, but one thing we do know: graduate student Hunter Hays is having a heckuva season when given an opportunity under center.

The Cody, Wyoming native’s stat lines are impressive after backup appearances in ISU’s first three games. He’s completed 22-of 29-passes (75.8%) for five touchdowns and no interceptions. He is also Idaho State’s leading rusher to boot, with 90 yards on 18 carries, an average of 5.0 yards an attempt.

The Bengals looked like a completely different team with Hays under center Saturday in their 52-28 loss to North Dakota. Down 38-0 in the first half, the Bengals outscored the Fighting Hawks 28-14 after Hays entered the game.

Hays showed the kind of fire and confidence you’d expect from a senior captain. The concern with Hays has always been keeping him healthy. He’s had a tendency to get nicked up over the seasons, which is also not surprising given the physical way he plays the position.

But Hays made a statement with his play on Saturday. It will be interesting to see if Cody Hawkins pivots from Kobe Tracy, who struggled mightily on Saturday, or continues to bring Hays off the bench as a change of pace quarterback.

Brad Bugger has been observing sports in southeastern Idaho since 1979 as a sportswriter, broadcaster and fan. He can be reached at bpbugger@gmail.com.