CALDWELL, Idaho - Fueled by a furious rally in the fourth set, The College of Idaho claimed their fourth-consecutive Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament championship, defeating Southern Oregon 25-15, 25-14, 22-25, 29-27, before a loud crowd in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
With the victory, the No. 8 ranked Lady Yotes (24-2) clinched their second-straight trip to the NAIA National Championships and their fourth berth in the last five seasons.
Trailing two sets to one, the Raiders (24-3) bolted out to a 9-3 lead in Set 4, pushing the margin to 17-10 on a kill by Leanne Stennett. The Yotes would come roaring back, getting four consecutive kills from Jessie Link as part of a 5-0 run to close within 17-15. SOU would regain control – taking a 23-18 edge on a Leah Bergstrom spike, but back came The C of I, aided by three Southern hitting errors, to score six-straight points. The Raiders would stave off match point with a Bergstrom kill and have a chance to put the set away, but a Marcella Hernandez kill tied the frame at 25-25. The teams would trade side-outs until 28-27, when Hernadez sent an overpass to the net, but Hartman’s joust went wide – setting off the Coyote celebration.
The opener saw the No. 13 ranked Raiders jump out to a 6-3 lead, but the Yotes used a 10-2 push, helped by four Kristin Henning kills, to take control. Set 2 was tied at 10-10, before The C of I ran off nine of the next ten points to take a two sets to none lead. Following the promotional break, SOU changed their rotation and it worked – as the Raiders never trailed, but needed a 4-0 run to break a 19-19 tie, as Stennett had four kills and the team recorded four blocks to force Set 4.
Link led the Lady Yotes with 14 kills, with Kathryn Ely adding ten. Naomi Reimer notched ten kills, 24 assists, six digs, and five blocks, Hernandez had nine kills and six blocks, with both Henning and Ciciley Fox recording eight spikes. Madie Machurek had 26 assists, with Whitney Owen leading all players with 27 digs.
The Raiders, who were making their tenth-straight CCC Tournament final appearance, got ten kills and three blocks from Bergstrom, with Stennett adding nine kills and 11 digs. Hartman chipped in with nine kills, Caryn Westrick added 21 assists, and Becky Johnstone notched 17 digs.
Later this evening, the 36 team field for the NAIA National Championships will be revealed by the national office in Kansas City, Mo., with the 12 teams advancing to the Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa, and the 24 teams who will play in Opening Round matches next Saturday to be released Sunday at 6 p.m. (MT)
Although unofficial, with their No. 8 national ranking, it is expected that The C of I will be among the teams advancing straight to the Final Site, while with their No. 13 national ranking, Southern is expected to receive the final at-large berth and host an Opening Round match in Ashland next weekend.