Box Score CALDWELL, Idaho - Recording nine of their 15 team blocks in the final two sets, Northwest Nazarene rallied from a two sets to one deficit to defeat Canyon County rival, College of Idaho, 22-25, 25-21, 13-25, 25-21, 15-8 inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Box Score
The Crusaders, playing the game as an exhibition, led just 22-21 in Set 4, but got three-straight Andrea Terpstra kills to force the winner-take-all final frame. In the fifth set, solo blocks from Andrea Tuholski and Elayna Rice gave NNU a 7-2 lead - but the Yotes (0-5) fought back, getting a pair of Liz Myers kills and a combo block from Myers and Sierra Porter to close the gap to 8-7. However, NNU got a pair of Tuholski kills in a five-point push to take control and stun the partisan crowd.
Myers, who tied C of I's school record for block assists in a game with 11, had five kills in five swings in a Set 1 win. Set 2 saw NNU get a trio of Taylor Van Valey kills in a 9-4 run to end the frame to even the match.
The Yotes controlled Set 3, using a 9-3 push midway through the period - keyed by a trio of blocks, to grab a set lead. NNU jumped out to a 6-1 lead in Set 4, but back-to-back Katy Robinson kills and a Myers ace capped a 7-1 surge to give C of I their first lead. NNU regrouped, getting combo-blocks on three consecutive Coyote swings to regain the lead and set up the wild finish.
Van Valey led NNU with 14 kills and six blocks, with Rice adding 10 kills and 11 digs. Michelle Terpstra had 42 assists and 10 digs, with Taylor Roberts recording 25 digs.
Myers led the Yotes with 15 kills and a career-high 12 blocks, with Lili Brochado adding 13 kills. Randi Sturtz had a career-high eight kills, while Sierra Porter had 52 assists, 13 digs, and eight blocks, and Janel Porter had a match-high 29 digs.
C of I opens up Cascade Conference play on Friday at Eastern Oregon.
