Idaho State is livin’ the dream, playing Wahine

Chad Teichert first — and last — saw Rainbow Wahine volleyball in person at the 1987 final four in Indianapolis. It was the year of Hawaii’s fourth — and last — national championship.

The Idaho State coach had graduated five years earlier from Brigham Young, where he wrestled. He was in the early stages of one of the country’s most successful high school coaching careers, going 142 volleyball matches without a loss in Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho.

The Wahine made a lasting impression and so did Dave Shoji, the winningest coach in his sport in what is now his 39th season.

"I watched them and they got after it," Teichert recalled by phone Tuesday from Pocatello. "I paid attention to what goes on in college. What he has done there is amazing. I’d like to be in his practice gym for a week. I can’t afford it, but he’s been so good for so long, every year. What he’s done is amazing."

Teichert’s team gathered Sunday, hours after winning its first Big Sky Conference championship since 1990. It was 10 degrees outside, but the Bengals warmed up immediately after they heard they would play 11th-seeded Hawaii at the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

"They were pretty thrilled," Teichert said. "If it wouldn’t have been Hawaii, if it had been who knows where, I’d have been curious to see their response. But when they heard Hawaii they were yelling and screaming."

The Bengals (23-11) play the Wahine (24-4) at approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday, following the first-round match between Arizona State (19-13) and Brigham Young (22-6). Idaho State, No. 102 in this week’s NCAA RPI power index, is the only automatic qualifier of the bunch.

Hawaii shared its 19th consecutive regular-season conference championship with Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos got the Big West’s automatic bid because of a better head-to-head record against the other two.

ASU is No. 49 this week and finished ninth in the Pac-12, which sent a record nine schools to the postseason. The Sun Devils are the only team other than Hawaii to beat top-seeded defending national champion Texas this season, sweeping the Longhorns.

BYU fell in five against ninth-seeded San Diego — the only nonconference opponent Hawaii lost to this season — in a showdown for the West Coast Conference title 10 days ago. The Cougars hold an RPI of 29 and swept the Toreros earlier in the season.

Idaho State lost to North Dakota and Portland State during the regular season, then ended their seasons last weekend in Portland. Makenzie Filer, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who is hitting .369, was the Big Sky tournament MVP. Lori Mendenhall-Lee — last season’s Big Sky Player of the Year — and Kylee Sessions also made the all-tournament team.

Teichert, whose record was barely over .500 his first five seasons, believed his team could win the conference after it came close a year ago. Mendenhall-Lee, his only senior, made it happen with increasingly efficient help from her teammates.

"She’s a very good setter, undersized for most D-I programs but very good," Teichert said. "She’s smart and quick and makes real good decisions. Most of her leadership comes from how hard she works. The kids realize she is working her tail off. It’s hard not to work hard yourself when anybody else is working that hard."

Mendenhall-Lee and sophomore Tressa Lyman were named all-conference this season. Both have broken into the Bengals’ top-10 career lists, in assists and kills. Lyman ranked second in the Big Sky in kills (3.58 per set) and points (4.11).

"It’s a typical Big Sky team," said UH associate coach Scott Wong, the first to see Idaho State film. "They have one tall middle, a good outside hitter, and a really good setter who can flick it around.

"They’re not flashy, but they are good and solid, consistent in everything they do. They don’t make a lot of errors. They were really efficient against Portland State. We’ve got to beat them. They are not going to beat themselves."

Teichert hopes his team can sustain its high level under the bright lights and big crowds at Stan Sheriff. Idaho State played before fewer than 15,000 fans — total — this year; Hawaii plays in front of 7,500 every night at home and has led the country in attendance the past 19 years. There was a line a few hundred long before the box office opened Tuesday morning.

"I hope we won’t be overwhelmed because it’s at Hawaii," Teichert said. "They are top 10 almost every year, they have a legendary coach. I hope we just play it one ball at a time and enjoy it.

"We always talk about being mentally focused and physically intense. Hopefully that’s what will be going on. And play as a team. If we play as individuals … oh well, it’s not going to work."