In brief: Vandals in volleyball semifinals

Idaho overcame Boise State in five tough sets Monday night to advance to the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference volleyball tournament in Las Vegas.

Fifth-seeded UI (14-14) will face top-seeded Hawaii (27-1) tonight.

Freshman Allison Walker had three kills in UI’s first six points of the decisive fifth set as the Vandals got the upper hand, then scored the last six points in a 15-7 win to cap a 16-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-27 victory.

Women’s basketball

With Carly Noyes scoring a game-high 19 points, Washington State gave No. 21 Nebraska a run before falling 87-79 at Pullman.

The Cougars (0-4) trailed 81-79 with 1:10 left after a Noyes layup in a game that featured 15 lead changes and 14 ties. But the Cornhuskers (4-0) scored the last six points, four on free throws following WSU turnovers.

• Idaho senior center Yinka Olorunnife, who averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds in two wins, is the WAC player of the week for the second time in her career. She made 13 of 26 shots, including 7 of 13 3s, in a pair of double-doubles.

Cross country

Fourth-ranked Washington struggled on the wind-swept course in Terre Haute, Ind., and placed 16th in the women’s NCAA Championships won by top-seeded defending champion Villanova. Florida State was second.

Oklahoma State, with three in the top nine, easily won the men’s title.