Whitney Owen had 31 digs in the losses for the Coyotes
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Whittany Radcliffe and Amy Alkezin combined for 21 kills with just two hitting errors, helping ninth-ranked Azusa Pacific to a 25-23, 25-19, 25-19 victory over The College of Idaho in the opening match of the Tournament of Champions, presented by the Salt Lake City Courtyard by Marriot, inside Behnken Fieldhouse. The Yotes would then falter down the stretch in their second match, dropping a 28-30, 20-25, 25-15, 29-27, 16-14 decision to host Westminster.
In the early match, the Cougars (4-0), who defeated The C of I last season at the NAIA National Tournament, had a battle on their hands in the opening set, but broke a 20-20 tie on a Rachael Jones kill and never relinquished the lead. Set 2 saw the No. 16 ranked Coyotes (0-2) log six hitting errors in the first 14 points of the frame, as APU jumped out to an 11-3 lead and ran away with the set. The finale saw the Yotes take a 15-11 lead on a Madison Curtis kill, but Radcliffe and Alkezin each had three spikes in a 12-1 push that secured the match for the California squad.
Sarah Harris led the way for the Lady Yotes with 13 kills, but The C of I was done in by 10 service errors an a .140 hitting percentage. Naomi Reimer had eight kills, 18 assists, and eight digs - but also racked up eight hitting errors. Freshman Liz Myers had a solid debut, recording five kills with a team-high six blocks, while Whitney Owen led the way with 13 digs.
Radcliffe led the Cougars with 11 kills, with Alkezin adding ten. Jones led all players with 21 assists, with libero Robin Portela recording a match-high 15 digs.
Match 2 of the day was a heartbreaker, as the Yotes squandered three match points in the fourth set, falling to Westminster.
Set 1 was a back and forth frame, with the Yotes having four set point opportunities thwarted by the Griffins (2-0), who took a 28-27 lead on a combo block. However, Ciciley Fox started a three-point push with a kill, capped by a Reimer spike, and The C of I was up 1-0.
Set 2 was dominated by Harris, who had five kills, as the Coyotes grabbed a 2-0 lead, but the hitting went cold in the middle frame, as Westminster held The C of I to a .040 hitting clip. Set 4 saw the Yotes have match point at 24-23, 25-24, and 26-25, only to have the Griffins Clotile Harris notch successive kills to keep the period going, with back-to-back Ashley Marchant kills breaking a 28-28 tie to force a deciding fifth set.
In the finale, Westminster used a 4-0 run to erase a 9-8 C of I lead, only to watch the Coyotes battle back to tie the score at 14-14. However the final of the Yotes 11 service errors gave the Griffins the side-out they needed, with a service ace clinching the match.
Sarah Harris had 19 kills and eight blocks in the loss, with Fox adding 12 kills and 15 digs. Reimer had ten kills, 27 assists, and eight digs, Madie Machurek had 24 assists and ten digs, and Owen logged 18 digs.
Clotile Harris led all players with 25 kills, with Kenzie Mitchell recording 12 kills. Emily Atkinson had 53 assists and ten digs for the Griffins, with libero Kyndall Kordakis adding 21 digs.
The Yotes meet Daemen College of New York at 10 a.m. tomorrow, then opening bracket play at 2 p.m. against either Westminster or Azusa Pacific.