Box
EUGENE, Ore. – It took 19 matches but the Northwest Christian University volleyball team finally broke through on Saturday, defeating The College of Idaho for the first time in school history,. 25-20, 25-15, 20-25, 25-22.
NCU (7-11, 5-7 CCC) got themselves right back into the playoff conversation as they out-blocked C of I, 8-6 and benefitted from 25 unforced errors by the Yotes. The College of Idaho (12-8, 7-5) hit .123 in the match and out-dug the Beacons, 58-49.
Head Coach
Kelly Pitre said, "This win really stemmed off of last night's play. After battling with Eastern and seeing what we are capable of doing, even having the lead a couple of times, our main goal tonight was finishing and maintaining that emotional consistency that we have seen all season from those girls."
After trading blows early, the teams were tied 7-7 in the first set. Four straight points for the Beacons, capped off by a dump-set kill from
Maci Beierle, gave NCU the lead for good.
The Beacons hit a sturdy .265 in the first set, but it was just a taste of what was to come in what turned into a dominant showing for the home team in set number two. The Beacons led at one point 21-9 and cruised to the win with 10 kills and a .438 percentage.
Macy DuCoeur also collected three service aces in a four-point stretch.
After the break, the College of Idaho began to show a little resolve in a tighter third set. The teams were tied on ten of the first 13 points and traded the lead twice before the Yotes pulled away with a seven point streak to take a 20-13 advantage. Ashley Pagan ended the set with a kill, ensuring that there would not be a sweep.
Set four looked to be much of the same with the C of I holding small margins before eventually grabbing a 17-15 lead on an NCU service error. After a Pagan attack error, NCU responded by going on an 8-1 run to take a 23-18 lead. The Beacons were then ahead 24-20 but had to face three match points before finally grabbing victory as the Yote attacker hit wide.
The Beacons were led defensively by senior
Cassidy Winters who collected seven blocks in her first victory against College of Idaho. She also collected nine kills and led the team with a .350 hitting percentage.
Taylor Burnett added 13 kills and nine digs and DuCouer finished with seven kills, four aces and two blocks.
Maci Beierle had a match-high 32 assists and also chipped in eight digs and three blocks.
Sydney Rothenbush led the team with 11 digs.
Ashley Pagan finished the match with 13 kills but it was Brenna Meehan that held the standard with 14 kills and a .281 attacking clip. The junior also posted three aces and tied for the match-high with 17 digs. Alaina Slater scored four blocks in the loss and Cheyan Coburn also had 17 digs. Jayde Folsom finished with a team-leading 21 assists.
The Beacons have made a habit of playing tough at home against teams ahead of them in standings, claiming wins against the Yotes and No. 22 Corban and pushing No. 6 Eastern Oregon in all three sets of a sweeping win for the Mounties. "We love our Morse Event Center," said coach Pitre. "The girls defend the place where they put in blood, sweat and tears every day in practice and our crowd has been great for us."
The Beacons had faced the College of Idaho twice in each of the past nine seasons since joining the Cascade Collegiate Conference and prior to this evening had taken the Yotes to four sets just five times and never to five. Pitre said, "I'm pretty speechless, but the girls have been working so hard for this. Since the start of the season they have been building up their confidence and their discipline and we're ready to unleash."
The win also helps NCU keep pace in the chase for the post-season, sitting two games behind Warner Pacific for sixth place with eight matches still remaining in the regular season.
The Beacons will be back in action on Tuesday, traveling to Salem for a big match against third-place Corban (13-5, 9-3 CCC). The Yotes head home next weekend to host Northwest and Evergreen.