Lady Yotes Top Eastern, Clinch NAIA Tourney Berth

SALEM, Ore. – Taylor Alexander led three College of Idaho players with double-digit kills with 14, as the Lady Yotes clinched a bid to the NAIA National Championships with a three-set win over No. 13 Eastern Oregon in the semifinals of the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, inside C.E. Jeffers Center.
 
The No. 14 ranked Lady Yotes (24-5) will play for their ninth CCC crown since 2005 tomorrow at 3 p.m. (PT) against regular-season champ, Corban. Since Corban earned the league's first auto bid to Nationals with their record-season crown, C of I secured the CCC's second automatic berth – their 12th all-time appearance.
 
Ashley Pagan was the go-to hitter in Set 1, blasting five kills, including a pair of spikes in a 4-0 run that broke an 11-11 tie. The Mountaineers () got within 20-18 on an Emily Nay kill, but a Jackie van Vliet kill, followed by a van Vliet-Alexander combo block turned the tide as the Yotes claimed the set win.
 
Brenna Meehan and Alexander were the story of Set 2 – combining for 11 of the Yotes 18 kills. Meehan gave C of I their largest lead of the period at 20-15 with a kill, but EOU whittled the lead down to 23-21 on a Coyote hitting error. Meehan answered with a spike and an ace to give C of I a two set advantage.
 
The two teams played side-out volleyball through 29 points, with the Yotes grabbing a narrow 15-14 lead. However, following an Eastern hitting error, setter Marija Djonovic recorded a pair of aces – starting a match-ending 10-1 run, which included three-straight combo-blocks to end the match.
 
Pagan had 11 kills and 10 digs, with Meehan adding 11 kills and three aces in the win for the Yotes.  Djonovic led all players with 37 assists, with Kilee Lopez recording 16 digs.
 
Amanda Miller led EOU with eight kills, as the Mounties struggled to a .126 hitting percentage and watched as C of I held a commanding 46-29 edge in kills.