Dani Montalbo with one of her eight kills in win over Carroll
CALDWELL, Idaho - Ciciley Fox had a match-high 17 kills, helping The College of Idaho defeat regional rival, Carroll College, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21, in an NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round match inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
With the win, the No. 12 ranked Lady Yotes (24-3) advance to the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Final Site, presented by CNOS Foundation, beginning Nov. 29. It is the fourth-straight appearance at the Final Site for The C of I.
Set 1 see-sawed through the first 30 points, featuring nine ties, as the Fighting Saints (18-9) took a 16-14 lead on a combo-block from Kristin Telin and Elli Graff. The C of I battled back, scoring six of the next seven points, including a pair of Dani Montalbo kills, to take a 20-17 lead. Carroll got within 22-21 on a Caitlin Tocci ace, but the Yotes persevered, closing the frame out on a Liz Myers kill.
Set 2 was all Coyotes, sprinting out to a 6-1 lead on the strength of a trio of Fox kills – racking up 20 kills and a .563 hitting percentage in the win. The finale saw seven ties, with the Saints taking advantage of a C of I hitting error to push their lead to 15-13. The Yotes responded with three quick points to take the lead for good, with a Telin hitting error ending the match.
Myers had 11 kills and three blocks in the win, with Kylee Nawahine and Montalbo each logging eight kills. Kelsey Soos had 49 assists in the victory, with Janel Porter leading all players with 13 digs.
Whitney Brigham had 10 digs for the Yotes – becoming the Cascade Conference’s all-time leader in digs with 2,223, surpassing the mark of 2,220 set by Krista Radetich of Western Oregon from 1995-98.
Markki Otteson and Telin each had seven kills for the Saints, who were making their first National Championships appearance since 1992. Kathleen Mulligan and Graff each recorded five kills in the loss, with Tocci logging 15 assists and Natalie Stewart recording 12 assists and eight digs.
Complete Pool Play assignments for the NAIA Final Site will be announced on Monday.