Yotes Defeat Cavs in Four to Start Final Weekend before Playoffs

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Sarah Harris’ 16 kills led the Coyotes as the College of Idaho defeated Concordia 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 17-25, 25-12) in Cascade Collegiate Conference volleyball action Friday in Cavalier Gymnasium.

The loss drops CU’s record to 18-8 overall, 13-4 in conference matches. College of Idaho improves to 20-4 overall and 16-1 in the CCC with the win.

The Coyotes jumped ahead to a 12-4 lead in the first set, eventually extending it to a 20-10 advantage. Concordia scored five of the next six points to pull within six at 21-15 and set the tone for the next two sets before College of Idaho closed the door with a Madison Curtis kill to finish the set.

College of Idaho opened the second set on a 13-6 run as the visitors looked to take a commanding lead in the match. But the Cavaliers battled back, using a pair of four-point streaks to tie the set at 18 points apiece. The teams exchanged points, with Concordia taking a brief lead at 19-18, before a CU service error gave the Coyotes a 22-21 lead. The Yotes scored the final four points of the set, the last two on Sarah Harris kills, to take a 2-0 match lead.

Concordia used the momentum of their second-set comeback to play COI even through the first several points of the third set before putting together an 11-3 run to take a 15-7 lead over the visitors. The Coyotes bounced back to pull within four at 18-14, but the Cavs closed the set on a 7-3 run to earn their first set win against COI since Oct. 8, 2005, a span of 11-consecutive sweeps for the Coyotes.

COI bounced back to dominate early in the fourth and final set, as the Coyotes scored the first six points and 10 of the first 11. Concordia used an 8-3 run to pull within four points at 13-9, but the Coyotes would not be denied, as the visitors scored 12 of the set’s final 15 points to finish the 3-1 match victory.

The Coyotes’ Ciciley Fox (Challis, Idaho/Challis H.S.) posted 11 kills, joining Harris (Middleton, Idaho/Middleton H.S.) as the only players to reach double-digits. Concordia’s Raluca Dinca (Portland, Ore./David Douglas H.S.) finished with a team-high nine kills, leading a balanced attack that included six players contributed between five and nine kills in the match. Lindsay Mangan (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina H.S.) totaled a match-high 28 assists for the Cavaliers, while COI’s setting duo of Naomi Reimer (Killarmey, Man./Killarney S.S.) and Madie Machurek (Eagle, Idaho/Eagle H.S.) each finished with 21 assists.

Concordia University