Sarah Harris had 17 kills in Lady Yotes win over Shawnee State
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Sarah Harris smashed her way to 17 kills, as The College of Idaho swept aside Shawnee State, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 in the final Pool C match for the two teams at the NAIA Volleyball National Championships, presented by Siouxland Sports Medicine Foundation, inside the Tyson Events Center.
The win for the Lady Yotes (25-6) secured a second-place finish in Pool C and a spot in the 12-team single-elimination bracket, which begins Friday morning. It marks the third time in the last four trips to Nationals that The C of I has advanced out of Pool Play – but are searching for their first trip to the National Quarterfinals.
The C of I will meet fifth-ranked Cal Baptist at 10 a.m. (CT) on Friday in the first round of bracket play. The Coyote-Lancer winner will meet fourth-ranked Columbia (Mo.) at 5:45 p.m. (CT) in the national quarterfinals.
Against the Bears (35-12), champions of the Mid South Conference, the Coyotes battled to six ties in the opening frame, with the Portsmouth, Ohio, side taking a 13-12 lead on a C of I hitting error. The Yotes would bounce back, getting kills from four different players in a 5-0 run to take the lead for good, winning the set on an SSU service error.
Set 2 was a back-and-forth affair, as the Lady Yotes took a 7-4 lead, before a kill and two blocks from Jami Turrill sparked a six-point run for the Bears. Trailing 17-14, The C of I responded, closing the frame on a 11-5 run, keyed by four kills and two blocks from Harris.
The finale saw Turrill notch four kills in the first 15 points of the set, as SSU sprinted out to a 10-5 lead. Following a timeout, the Lady Yotes found their attack, as two kills each from Harris, Lauren Bourgeau, and Nathy Neres helped The C of I to a 10-2 push to take the lead for good. A combo-block by Liz Myers and Naomi Reimer ended the match.
Ciciley Fox joined Harris in double figures with ten kills, while Bourgeau added seven kills and Reimer logged seven kills and 24 assists. Madie Machurek had her second double-double of the tournament with 19 assists and a team-high ten digs.
Turrill led SSU with 16 kills and ten digs in the loss – finishing Pool C with an 0-3 record. Heather Koehler had 12 kills, with Haley Holcomb adding 38 assists and eight digs for the Bears.
Later tonight, the NAIA will release the single-elimination bracket, with games beginning tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CT)