College of Idaho swept Eastern Oregon in the first semifinal of the 2017 CCC Volleyball Tournament. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – The No. 2-seeded College of Idaho Yotes defeated the No. 3-seeded Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers on Friday afternoon in straight-sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-15) in the first 2017 CCC Tournament Semifinal, presented by U.S. Bank. The triumph means the Yotes will play for the CCC Volleyball Tournament Championship on Saturday, awaiting the winner of the match between No. 1-Seeded Corban and No. 4-Seeded Northwest.
In what began as a back-and-forth battle, College of Idaho would utilize a balanced offensive attack to pull ahead late and capture the first set, 25-20. The Yotes would never look back, as they finished the afternoon with a .288 hitting percentage en route to a 25-21 set-two victory and a 25-15 triumph in set three.
Offensively, College of Idaho was led by Taylor Alexander, who finished with a team-best 14 kills on the afternoon, while hitting at a .367 clip. Ashley Pagan and Brenna Meehan also contributed strong performances, adding 11 kills each for the Yotes. Marija Djonovic tallied 37 assists in the winning effort.
On the defensive end, College of Idaho was spearheaded by Kilee Lopez, who ended the match with 16 digs. At the net, Alexander, Alaina Slater, and Jackie Van Vliet each notched three blocks, respectively.
For Eastern Oregon, Amanda Miller finished with a team-leading eight kills, while Sarah Carpenter totaled 17 assists. Kiley McMurtrey led the defense with 10 digs, and CCC Co-Player of the Year Madisen Garlie tacked on five blocks.
With the win, College of Idaho advances to the CCC Tournament Championship. The Yotes will play the winner of Friday’s other semifinal match between the No. 1-seeded Corban Warriors and the No. 4-seeded Northwest Eagles, which is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
Saturday’s title match is set to begin at 3 p.m. in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.