LA GRANDE, Ore. – For the first time since 2005, the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Championship match went to five sets as College of Idaho claimed their third straight conference championship with a 3-2 (25-20, 13-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-12) victory over Concordia University.
Emily Ottinger led the Yotes with a season-high 22 kills. Sierra Porter dished out a game-high 46 assists. Lindsey Dorsey led the Cavaliers with a season-high 23 kills.
Early in the first set, neither team took control of the set and after the first 16 points Concordia and College of Idaho were tied at 8-8. Both teams would take a little lead, but the other had an answer and the match remind tied at 15-15.
After the set was tied, College of Idaho scored the next two points taking a two point lead, 17-15. However, the Cavaliers answer back by scoring the next three points, taking a one point lead, 18-17. After trading leads Dorsey recorded a kill to tie the set at 20-20. The Yotes scored the last five points of the set and took set one, 25-20.
The Cavaliers answered back in the second set as they raced out to an early, 14-5, lead over the College of Idaho. College of Idaho continued to battle in the set and after a Kylie Porter kill, the Yotes found themselves down, 15-10. Concordia did not let C of I get any closer as Concordia took set two, 25-13.
The third set was a back and forth affair as both teams traded leads, capped off by a Dorsey kill to tie the set at 9-9. College of Idaho looked as if they were slowly pulling away as they built a 12-9 lead. The Cavaliers had another idea and battled back to take a 15-14 lead.
College of Idaho answered by going on a 6-0 run to take a 20-15 lead. The Yotes did not give up the lead for the remainder of the set and took set 3, 25-19.
Like the previous sets, College of Idaho and Concordia were locked in a highly contested set as it was tied at 6-6. Concordia slowly started to pull away as they scored four straight points to take a 10-6 lead. Concordia did not let the Yotes back in the match and continued to battle to take set four, 25-21, to force a fifth set.
The fifth set belonged to College of Idaho as they scored the first three points of the set. The Cavaliers mounted a quick comeback to tie the set at 3-3, but the Yotes answered right back and extend their lead to 8-4. Concordia trimmed the lead down to one point, 11-10, once but could not get any closer as College of Idaho took the set, 15-12, and match.
With the win, College of Idaho earns the CCC automatic berth to the NAIA Volleyball National Championship.