Liz Myers had 13 kills in Lady Yotes win over KWU
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The College of Idaho pounded out 62 kills and tied a season-high with 13 team blocks, as the Lady Yotes remained unbeaten in Pool Play with a 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 25-19 victory over Kansas Wesleyan at the NAIA Volleyball National Championships, presented by CNOS Foundation, inside the Tyson Events Center.
With the win, the Lady Yotes (26-3) clinched a spot in Friday’s single-elimination Bracket Play for a second-straight season. Tomorrow’s 3:15 p.m. (CT) match-up with top-ranked Concordia-Irvine will be for the Pool A title.
In the battle of Coyotes, The C of I used seven kills from Liz Myers in Set 1 to take control of the match early. Two kills each from Torrey Hulsey, Ciciley Fox, and Myers helped the Yotes to a 10-5 lead in the period, but KWU (26-9) used a six-point surge late in the set, keyed by four C of I hitting errors and kills from Lauren Chamness and Melissa Blair, to lead 22-20. A Myers spike, a Dani Montalbo/Hulsey block, and a Hulsey kill gave the Yotes the lead for good.
Set 2 saw The C of I surge to a quick 5-2 lead on the strength of two Montalbo kills, but it was short-lived. The Salina, Kan., squad got kills from Blair and Leah Kreller in a 4-0 spurt to break an 8-8 tie and never trailed again. The Yotes closed to 14-13 on a Montalbo kill, but a 6-1 run by KWU – fueled by three C of I hitting errors, evened the match at one set apiece.
The six-time defending Cascade Conference champs used two Fox kills and a Kelsey Soos ace to grab a 13-9 lead in Set 3, putting the period away with a four-point run, punctuated by a Kylee Nawahine/Hulsey combo block, to take the lead of the match back. KWU led early in Set 4 a 7-6, but The C of I scored eight of the next nine points, including three Montalbo kills and aces from Nawahine and Bryanne Gribble, to earn the win.
Fox led all players with 19 kills, with Montalbo recording 15 kills and four blocks. Myers had 13 kills and three blocks in the victory, while Hulsey recorded nine kills and a season-high 10 blocks. Soos led all players with 54 assists, with Whitney Brigham recording 30 digs – her second-straight match with 30-or-more digs.
Kreller led KWU with 10 kills, Chamness added eight, while Blair had six kills and a team-high five blocks. Setter Juli Miles logged 20 assists, with Kelsey Broyles recording 21 digs. The C of I held a commanding 62-39 edge in kills, with their team block total the most this season in a four set match.