Vandals sweep K.C., roll into WAC semis

PHOENIX – For a third straight season, the Idaho Vandals will play for a spot in the Western Athletic Conference volleyball tournament championship game.

Sophomore Katelyn Peterson and junior Alyssa Schultz led the way for the Vandals, who hit .299 as a team in rolling over Missouri-Kansas City 25-19, 25-14, 25-15 in Monday night’s quarterfinals.

Fourth-seeded Idaho (19-10), riding a six-match winning streak, will face top-seeded defending champion New Mexico State in tonight’s semifinals. The Aggies beat the Vandals in four sets in last year’s championship match.

“It’s huge for us,” UI coach Debbie Buchanan said of the win. “We’ve definitely been on a little bit of a momentum swing and we’re getting more and more confidence with this younger team.”

Peterson had a team-high 11 kills with four digs, three aces and two blocks and hit .286. Schultz had six kills and four blocks and hit .429.

Taylor Wilkinson had six kills, two blocks and hit a team-best .444. Terra Varney and Jenna Ellis divided 26 digs.