CALDWELL, Idaho – A near triple-double by Sierra Porter fueled a big College of Idaho rally, as the Lady Yotes battled back from a two-set deficit to defeat Northwest University, 17-25, 21-25, 25-13, 25-14, 15-11 inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The win for the Lady Yotes (12-8, 9-2 CCC) completed a perfect four match home stand, with C of I having won nine of their last 10 matches.
It wasn't easy, however, as the Eagles (9-13, 2-9) dominated the opening two sets and were poised for their first win in Caldwell since 2005 – forcing 18 C of I hitting errors in the first two frames.
In Set 1, a 6-0 surge – helped by two Rae Ann Hastings kills and two Leia Roy aces – erased an 11-10 C of I lead, as NU cruised to the win. The Eagles never trailed in Set 2, as a Hastings kill broke a 12-12 tie, with a Mattie Joe Johnson kill and block extended the visitors lead to 21-15, a margin they would not relinquish.
C of I found their rhythm in Set 3, using a 9-2 push early in the frame to grab a 10-5 lead and never looked back. Another big run in Set 4, as the Yotes scored 13-of-15 points to open up a 19-10 lead to force the winner-take-all run to 15.
Two Emily Ottinger kills gave the Yotes an 8-5 lead at the change-over, but a Roy ace got NU back within a point. However, two Ottinger kills and two smashes by Kylie Porter closed out the victory for C of I.
Sierra Porter had nine kills, 44 assists, 20 digs, and six blocks for the Yotes, with Kylie Porter adding 17 kills and a team-high seven blocks. Ottinger had 14 kills and four blocks, while five C of I players had 10-or-more digs, led by 22 from Kilee Lopez.
Dakota Adams led NU with 12 kills, with Hastings adding 11 kills and two blocks and Johnson recording nine kills and six blocks. Setter Morgan Pilon had 26 assists and Roy had 22 digs in the loss.
C of I hits the road for three-straight matches, beginning Friday night at No. 10 Eastern Oregon.
