Broncos so far doing better on Uneven Bars

Courtney McGregor of Olympics fame scored a 9.9.  But Boise State's team score of 49.250 is a full two/tenths behind the MRGC score last week.

Broncos Falter on Vault

Boise State failed to score the base of 49 to give them a chance to advance to nationals.  The Broncos gymnasts scored 48.950, putting pressure on them in the other three events.  The big problem is that vault is one of their best events.  Boise State score 49.000 last week at the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships.

#10 Boise State Gymnasts Set School Record in Beating Big 12 Foe

This may be Boise State's best year ever in gymnastics.  On Senior Night in Boise, the Broncos posted a school record score of 197.675 to knock off #8 Denver, which finished with 197.150.  It was the first meet in history that Bronco fans got to see two Top 10 teams.

Lady Broncos Win Mountain West Title with 66-53 Victory over Fresno State

For the second time in three years, Boise State will advance to the NCAA National Women's Basketball Tournament.  Coach Gordy Presnell's Broncos defeated Fresno State this afternoon, 66-53.

Boise State 65, Colorado State 61

I had a feeling about this one.  The Bronco women knock off top seed Colorado State to move to the Mountain West Conference final.

Boise State Gymnasts Open Season with Three Wins in UC Davis Meet

The Boise State gymnasts picked up where they left off last year with three wins in the UC Davis quadrangular meet.

The Broncos scored their third-highest opening meet score in school history with a 195.300.  Highly regarded Stanford finished with 193.800 while host UC Davis had 193.275 and Yale finished with 188.900.  It was Boise State's first win over Stanford since 1997.

The Stanford Team That Beat Boise State in the Second Round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament Won the National Championship

Boise State can say that they lost to the best.  Stanford won the title with a 3-1 victory over Texas.

Boise State's History in the Final Fall Standings of the Learfield Cup

In our previous story, we told you that Boise State has a chance to finish in the Top 40 of the Final Fall Standings of the Learfield Cup, given annually to the nation's #1 overall athletic program.  The Learfield Cup awards points in all NCAA sports based on national finish.

The Final Fall Standings this year will be announced after the final Top 25 football poll, somewhere around January 10.

Here is the history of Boise State's performance in the Learfield measurement of fall sports:





1993-94: Unranked

1994-95: #50

1995-96: Unranked

1996-97: #73

1997-98: Unranked

1998-99: Unranked

1999-2000: Unranked

2000-01: Unranked

2001-02: Unranked

2002-03: #88

2003-04: #107

2004-05: #81

2005-06: Unranked

2006-07: #75

2007-08: #118

2008-09: #85

2009-10: #44

2010-11: #78

2011-12: #83

2012-13: #96

2013-14: #109

2014-15: #46

2015-16: #33

Boise State #48 in First Learfield Cup Standings

We've been telling you Boise State is having one of its best fall seasons in school history, and in the first Learfield Cup Standings, the Broncos are ranked #48.  The standings represent just the men's and women's cross country championships and field hockey.  

Boise State finished 19th in the men's competition to earn 55 points.  With the recently completed NCAA Volleyball Tournament in which the Broncos reached the second round, Boise State will receive 25 points for that sport.

Additionally, the Bronco football team will score points.  Boise State will receive 25 points for playing in a bowl game and 45 points if they receive votes in the final Top 25 poll.  If they finish the season ranked in the Top 25, they will receive an increasing amount of points depending on which position they finish.  A Top 25 finish should rank Boise State in the Top 40 in the nation in the final fall Learfield Cup Standings.

Boise State Sweeps #20 Western Kentucky To Open NCAA Volleyball Tournament

STANFORD, CA--Boise State stopped a set point and went on to clinch the match in a 28-26, 25-22, 27-25 win over #20 Western Kentucky in the opening round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

The Lady Broncos (26-6 this season), playing in their first-ever NCAA Tournament match, executed coach Shawn Garus' strategy to perfection despite being the underdog. Western Kentucky was the highest-ranked team to not host the first two rounds and came into the match with a 21-match winning streak and a season record of 30-2. The Hilltoppers had not lost in 2 1/2 months since a defeat to Michigan State. Western Kentucky was playing in its 10th tournament and sixth in the last seven years.

Down 22-24 in the third set, sophomore Kaitlyn Oliver blasted a shot over the net to save the set. A dunk by junior Sierra Nobley tied the match and junior setter Jaymee-lee Bulda's kill put the Broncos up 25-24. After the teams split the next two points, Maddy O'Donnell and Janell Walley set up a double block that was unanswered by WKU and the Broncos celebrated before a strong contingent of Bronco fans.

Boise State, which extended its own winning streak to 15 matches, will face the winner of the Stanford-Denver match tomorrow night at 7 Mountain time.

Despite the sweep, the two teams were fairly evenly matched, as never were they separated by more than five points in the entire match, and they played most of the three sets with less than two or three points separating them. After an even start in the opening set, O'Donnell scored two service aces to give Boise State their first lead at 11-19. Kills from Nobley put the Broncos up 18-16 and 21-19, and a block by sophomore Sabryn Roberts gave Boise State a 23-21 lead.

But WKU stormed back with three points and only an Oliver kill saved the set. Boise State came back to tie at 24 and a Nobley kill had the Broncos in position to win the set. Western Kentucky saved two set points before Roberts put away a winner to once again put Boise State ahead 27-26. O'Donnell did the honors for the Lady Broncos as they took the first set.

Nobley led Boise State with six kills in the set while Roberts had five and Oliver four. Alyssa Cavanaugh carried her team with eight kills. The Bronco block game was working to the tune of six to four for the Hilltoppers.

Service errors proved to be the difference in the opening set, with WKU committing four to zero for the Broncos.

Boise State spotted Western Kentucky a 1-3 lead but then led for most of the second set, opening up 14-9, 16-11 and 17-12 leads. With the Broncos ahead 20-17, Roberts beat a double block to put her team up 21-17, then scored another kill for a 22-18 lead. O'Donnell's smash put Boise State two points away with a 23-19 lead, and after the Toppers closed the lead to 24-22, Nobley's blast over the net gave Boise State a 2-0 lead in the match. Roberts had five kills in the set to lead the Bronco attack while Nobley had four.

Seven-time Conference USA Coach of the Year Travis Hudson (in his 22nd year at WKU) had the Hilltoppers fired up coming out of the locker room, determined to extend their season. WKU opened up a three point lead at 13-10, but Nobley, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored a kill and then blocked Jessica Lewis' dunk attempt to close the margin to two. Nobley then tied the match with a block. Oliver's two straight terminating shots tied the match at 16, and the two teams played even volleyball for the next several points, setting up the Bronco heroics down the stretch.

Garus, with help from talented assistants Candy Murphy and Allison Buck, had their opponents scouted well and communicated to the Lady Broncos what they needed to do. Western Kentucky came into the match second in the nation in hitting percentage at 31.1%. The Toppers had a slight edge at 28.7% to 28.0% for the Broncos, but the fact that Boise State kept that statistic close went a long way in notching their first tournament win. WKU was never able to fully recover from the 4-0 deficit in service errors in the opening set, and finished with 10 errors to 7 for the Broncos.

Nobley led Boise State with 17 kills and 12 digs, including seven in the final set. Bulda, taking over this year from Sarah Baugh, one of the most accomplished setters in school history, was magnificent in dishing out 38 assists, while Vallivue High School product Maddi Osburn helped the Bronco defensive cause with 14 diggs.

Cavanaugh had 17 kills to lead Western Kentucky, while Lucas had 41 assists and Sydney Engle contributed 14 digs.

Boise State Volleyball Team Clinches First-Ever Berth in NCAA Tournament

LARAMIE, WY--The Boise State volleyball team scored a 25-20, 25-18, 25-21 win last night over a tough Wyoming team to clinch a share of the Mountain West Conference championship and the school's first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Broncos (24-6, 15-2 in MW play) won their 13th straight match, 11 by sweep, repeating a theme from last season, Coach Shawn Garus' team won nine in a row and 15 of their last 16 to close the regular season last year.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team and what they’ve accomplished this year,” said Garus. “The team was showing some nerves and a little anxiousness this afternoon, they know how good a team Wyoming is and how hard they are to beat at home. I thought we handle Wyoming’s pressure and the pressure of the circumstances of this match well. It was a battle with Wyoming, every time it looked like we had momentum in a set, they came back on us. Like many of the victories in this run, this was a team win with everyone contributing. Now we need to close it out Tuesday at home against Air Force.” 

Junior Sierra Nobley once again paced the Lady Broncos with 19 kills.  Her eight kills in the opening set helped Boise State rally from five points down to win.  

“The last two matches would not have been possible without the long hard off season and motivated summer workouts,” said Nobley. “Every single player on this team worked their tail off to be able to have such an incredible season, and winning the conference was icing on the cake. We’re so grateful for our coaches, trainers, weight coaches, and every person who was 100% invested in us, because we couldn’t have gotten this far without them. It’s so exciting to be a part of this program as we continue to climb higher than we ever have in the past. Proud of all my teammates and ready to seal the deal on Tuesday night!”

The second set featured seven ties and five lead changes with Nobley getting six more kills, aided by three each from senior Maddy O'Donnell and sophomore Kaitlyn Oliver.  The Broncos finished with a 9-2 run to go ahead of the home team 2-0.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my senior year,” said O’Donnell. “Wyoming is a hard atmosphere to play in and we came in with complete confidence and rattled them from start to finish. I am so proud of my team and coaches for all we have accomplished this season. I can’t wait for our first ever NCAA appearance! Let’s go Broncos!”

Nobley scored five kills and three blocks in the final set, while sophomore Sabryn Roberts had four kills and Oliver three kills and three blocks.

Maddi Osburn tallied a team-high 15 digs in the win to give her 515 on the season, second most in program history and six short of tying the school record of 521. 

Jaymee-Lee Bulda has improved her game throughout the year and dished out 38 assists to bring her total to 1,064 this season, 13th in school history. 

“Being a part of something like this is truly special,” Bulda said. “From day one we have worked harder and harder everyday on and off the court. We’re not just a team, we’re sisters and I couldn’t be more proud to be a Boise State Bronco”

Reed Copeland led Wyoming (18-12, 11-6) with nine kills and four blocks.  The Cowgirls came into the match sporting a 13-5 home record, including a win over second-place Colorado State.  Before bowing to Boise State, Wyoming had lost just one other conference match to Nevada, with the other four defeats coming to #10 BYU, #23 Kentucky, #24 Ohio State and Oregon State.

Boise State returns home to host Air Force for Senior Night next Tuesday at 7:30 in Bronco Gym.  Wyoming finishes the season at Colorado State Tuesday night.

Boise State Volleyball Team Wins 19th of the Season, 8th Straight

SAN DIEGO, California--For the second straight year, the Boise State volleyball team is surging down the stretch.  

The Broncos topped San Diego State 25-19, 25-21, 14-25, 25-23 last night for their eighth consecutive win.  Boise State improved their record to 19-6, 10-2 in Mountain West Conference play.  Coach Shawn Garus' team, who is tied with UNLV for the league lead, owns a three-set victory over the Rebels last Saturday in Bronco Gym.  

Boise State has six matches remaining, including a home battle with defending champion Colorado State.  With one more victory in those six matches, the Broncos can record their third consecutive 20-win season for the first time in 26 years.  Boise State hasn't posted three straight 20-win seasons since Darlene Bailey's Bronco teams won 20 or more matches from 1986-90.

Junior Sierra Nobley (19 kills), sophomore Sabryn Roberts (12) and senior Maddy O'Donnell (10) paced the Bronco offense to victory.  

Meanwhile, libero Maddi Osburn was spectacular in digging 11 off the court to keep the ball in play.


“Nothing was easy tonight against a good San Diego State team that refused to quit,” said head coach Shawn Garus. “I thought we handle their pressure well, especially when they came back and won the third set. I thought Jaymee (Bulda) did a great job setting our outside hitters tonight who were huge for us. Sierra (Nobley) and Sabryn (Roberts) were great hitting it on the outside and caused the Aztecs issues defensively. I am just happy we got the win tonight and look forward to us caring this momentum on next week.”

Trailing 3-0 in the opening set, the Broncos took command with an 8-2 run.  Roberts pounded home the final two winners to give Boise State the lead.

Nobley assumed command by recording seven of her kills in the second set.  With the match tied at 19, Nobley hit a winner that the Aztecs were unable to respond to.  Behind 21-20, Nobley rammed home two winners and notched a service ace to lead the Broncos on a 5-0 run.  Roberts again did honors by smashing home the set point.

With the victory in set two, Boise State tied a school record with its 23rd consecutive set win.

The Aztecs won the third set decisively 25-14 before Boise State's Kaitlyn Oliver recorded a kill over a San Diego State block in set four to put the Broncos one point away.  Oliver then combined with Janell Walley for a block for the win.

Nobley posted three aces and eight digs to go along with her team-leading 19 kills while O'Donnell hit 50% for the game and also had two aces and four block assists.  O'Donnell is now tied with Ronda Recknor (1981-83) for eighth place in school history in career blocks with 361.

Jaymee-Lee Bulda handed out 45 assists and recorded eight digs and a career-high three block assists.

Alexandra Psoma led San Diego State with 23 kills and a 47.4 hitting percentage.  The Aztecs slipped to 4-11 overall and 6-5 in conference play.

Boise State wraps up a three-match road swing against Utah State next Thursday.