CALDWELL, Idaho - The College of Idaho ran their home win streak to 42 matches in a row, streaking past Northwest University, 25-13, 25-18, 25-13, in a Cascade Conference Championships semifinal match-up inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Lady Yotes (23-2) will meet Southern Oregon in tomorrow’s final – as SOU outlasted Eastern Oregon in five sets. The two teams have met for the last six CCC titles, with The C of I winning 4-of-5, though Southern won last season’s match-up in Ashland, Ore.
The Eagles (12-12), playing without starting setter Lauryn Ernster, who was injured during pregame warm-ups, sprinted out to a 5-1 lead in the opening frame, thanks to a pair of kills from Molly Boyle. The C of I would fight back, drawing even at 7-7 on a Liz Myers kill, then breaking the set open with a six point push, part of a 14-2 run – to take control of the match.
Set 2 was similar, as NU held a 7-6 lead, but Ciciley Fox hammered four kills in a 9-1 spurt to put the period away. A Sarah Stoker kill gave the Eagles a 6-5 lead in Set 3, but nine-straight C of I points sent the Yotes to the title match.
Fox led the way with 11 kills, while Myers had 10 kills and a team-high five blocks. Kelsey Soos had 29 assists for the Yotes, with Whitney Brigham recording 18 digs and Janel Porter notched 13 digs.
Boyle had seven kills for the Eagles’, with Heather Shulke recording 21 assists and seven digs in the loss.
The early match was a slugfest, as Southern outlasted Eastern, 27-29, 25-19, 25-21, 18-25, 15-13 – as the two sides combined for 148 kills.
After the Mountaineers (17-11) rallied from a set down to force a winner-take-all finale, the two teams locked into a final duel, combining for eight ties and six lead changes. EOU used a three-point surge, capped by a Jessica Lea kill, to take a 13-11 lead. However, following a time-out, the Raiders (20-4) scored the final four points of the match – a Natalie Scheller kill, two Mountaineer attack errors, and a Sarah Holgen spike, to outlast their in-state rivals.
Holgen led the No. 12 ranked Raiders with 21 kills and 13 digs, with Scheller adding 17 kills. Haley Fikso had 12 kills and six blocks, Caryn Westrick had 38 assists and 12 digs, and Becky Johnstone recorded 23 digs.
Lea had her eighth double-double of the season with 23 kills, 31 assists, and 15 digs in the loss, with Stefani Sorensen smashing 16 balls, and Rebecca Haight notching 14 kills. Emily Sampson had 37 assists and 16 digs, with Kaitlyn Duncan recording 32 digs.