PORTLAND, Ore.— Using an epic 23-21 win in the decisive set, the #8-ranked College of Idaho volleyball team fended off a upset-minded Concordia 3-2 (23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 23-25, 23-21) on Saturday to keep an undefeated conference record intact.

C of I improved to 11-1 on the year and 8-0 in conference play with the victory while the loss dropped the Cavs to 9-5 overall and 4-3 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

Concordia led most of the way in the fifth, running out to a 14-11 lead to earn the squad three chances at match point. C of I stepped up when they needed to, however, winning three straight points to push the match into extra-play. Both teams went back and forth from there, each claiming and facing match point. Concordia served its last match point at 19-18, but fought off two more C of I match points before the Coyotes’ Torrey Hulsey sent home the final kill of the night.

The five-set match marked the first time CU had forced the Coyotes to play five sets since Oct. 8, 2005. That’s a run of 15 matches before tonight and it could have easily been the Cavs’ first win against C of I since a 3-0 victory in Caldwell, Idaho on Oct. 25, 2003. Instead, the Cavs will have to wait until a roadtrip to Caldwell, Idaho to face the Coyotes again on Oct. 28 to break C of I’s 19-match win streak.

Lost in the frenzy of the fifth set, a couple of individuals also set personal bests in the match on Saturday. Coyote Junior setter Kelsey Soos set a career-high in assists with 69 while CU senior hitter Aria Nojima set a career-high in kills with 22 on the same night she received her championship ring as a member of the 2011 NAIA National Champion Concordia women’s track and field team.

CU sophomore setter Lindsay Mangan also had a big night, putting up 50 assists for her third career match above the half-century mark.

Concordia started the night strong, leading most of the way in the first set. The Cavs held a five-point advantage six times in the set before closing it out 25-23 off a kill from Leslie Hanks.

Despite the win, however, C of I hit .412 in the set and that strong hitting continued as the Coyotes breezed through the second and third sets, winning 25-14 and 25-16, respectively, to take a 2-1 lead.

The Coyotes took an early lead again in the fourth set, but this time the Cavs stayed close. C of I never led by more than three until opening up a bit of a lead late at 18-22. Now three points from a loss, CU responded, winning five of the next six points to square the set at 23-all. Once tied, a C of I attack error and another kill from Nojima gave the Cavs the fourth-set victory to force the final session.

The Coyotes will next face against Eastern Oregon on Friday before returning home against non-conference foe Westminster College the following day. The Cavs now head back on the road to face Northwest University on Friday, Sept. 30 and then Evergreen State on Saturday, Oct. 1.