CALDWELL, Idaho - Jessica Peacock had 16 kills and 12 digs, including nine kills in Set 2, as The College of Idaho rallied for a 16-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-22 victory over Concordia University in the semifinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The No. 15 ranked Lady Yotes (20-6) will meet Eastern Oregon in tomorrow's championship game at 3 p.m. for a berth in the NAIA National Championships. EOU defeated Southern Oregon in four sets in today's first semifinal.
Down one set and trailing 14-8 in Set 2, Peacock helped turn the tide in the match with a kill, sparking an 8-1 run to give the Yotes the lead. The senior broke a 19-19 tie with a kill, adding a block and two straight-kills to help the Yotes even the match.
The Yotes cruised in Set 3, as Torrey Hulsey smashed three kills in a 14-6 push to open the period to take the frame.
Set 4 was nip-and-tuck, featuring 12 ties and five lead changes, with the Cavaliers (16-10) pulling within 23-22 on a Melanie Miller kill. Kylee Nawahine answered with a kill through the CU block, with Sofia Anxo cracking a spike to the middle of the court to end the match.
The Cavs trailed early 4-2 in Set 1, but took advantage of four rotation errors in a 9-2 push to take a 17-10 lead as Jackie Stein recorded five kills in the opening set for CU.
Liz Myers had 12 kills for the Yotes in the victory, Nawahine had nine kills, with Hulsey record adding eight kills and four blocks. Sierra Porter had six kills, 47 assists, and nine digs, with Janel Porter leading The C of I with 23 digs.
Stein led CU with 14 kills, Miller had 11 kills and five blocks, with Mariah Raudsepp recording eight kills and four blocks. Lindsay Mangan had 38 assists for the Cavs, with Kelsey Kai leading all players with 28 digs.
In the first semifinal, Rebecca Haight recorded 20 kills and added 18 digs, leading Eastern (23-6) to the 25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 25-21 win over their in-state rival.
The Mountaineers won for the 11th-straight time and lifts EOU into their first-ever CCC title tilt, while the Raiders (19-12) failed to reach the CCC final for the first time in over a decade.
Haight got EOU started on the right foot, pounding four kills in the opening set, as the Mounties used a three-point push midway through the frame to take a 16-11 and cruised to the win. Eastern never trailed in Set 2, though a Natalie Scheller kill cut a 13-7 lead to 18-17. Two-straight Haight spikes fueled a four-point surge that put the Mountaineers up two sets.
The Raiders responded in Set 3, taking advantage of three-straight EOU errors in a 6-0 run to grab a 15-9 lead – forcing a fourth set.
EOU used a 7-1 run early in the fourth set to take a 16-8 lead, but SOU did not quick, getting within 23-21 on a Haley Kasler kill. The Mountaineers got a side-out on a Haight kill, then ended the match on a Stefani Sorensen kill.
Sorensen logged 15 kills in the victory, with setter Karly Stack recording 27 assists and eight digs, and libero Kaitlyn Duncan leading EOU with 24 digs.
The Raiders got 16 kills from Scheller and eight from Liz Madden in the loss. Setter Caryn Westrick had 23 assists and seven digs, with Renee Yomtob recording 29 digs.
