CALDWELL, Idaho - The College of Idaho volleyball team opened up its 2022 season with a split on the first day of the College of Idaho Preseason Volleyball Tournament. The day got underway with a straight-set win over Montana Western before dropping a 20-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-17 loss to No. 3 Bellevue.
The 'Yotes started the season winning in three over Montana Western, 25-21, 25-20 and 26-24. A balance of returnees and newcomers paved the way for the victory with
Gabriella Rios posting a team-high 10 kills in her C of I debut to lead College of Idaho, who out hit the Bulldogs by a slight margin of .183 to .144.
Returnees
Brenna Hawkins and
Danielle Neuman each added nine kills to the winning efforts. Rios also had three service aces and returnee
Ali Carpenter added four as College of Idaho had eight for the match.
The two-setter attack for C of I saw returning setter
Sydnee Steel provide 20 assists to go along with seven digs and new setter
Analise Hitchcock came off the bench to provide 12 assists. The frontline posted 10 blocks with Hawkins putting her hands on a team-high four in the win.
In the second match of the day, No. 3 Bellevue rallied from a first-set deficit to win the next three to defeat host College of Idaho, 20-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-17. The visiting Bulldogs hit at a .305 clip compared to .170 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs' Olivia Galas had 40 assists and 10 digs for a double double in the win for Bellevue.
The 'Yotes were paced by a career-high 12 kill effort by
Chayla Slavin and
Gabriella Rios, who had her second straight double-digit kill effort. Three Bulldogs had double-digit kills to go along with five blocks and 11 kills by Jacki Apel in the victory.
College of Idaho will wrap up the weekend with a pair of matches on Saturday, hosting Southwestern Assemblies of God at 11 a.m. and Saint Katherine (California) at 5 p.m. at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.