SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A dominating three-set victory by the College of Idaho over Milligan College secured the Lady Yotes a spot in Friday's 16-team single-elimination bracket at the NAIA Volleyball National Championships inside Tyson Events Center.
The Lady Yotes (24-8) rolled past their Tennessee opponents 25-14, 25-20, 25-15 to advance past Pool Play for the eighth time in program history.
C of I used a stellar defense against the Buffaloes (26-8) of the Appalachian Athletic Conference, recording 10 total blocks and limiting MC to a negative hitting percentage.
A 15-4 run by the Yotes in Set 1 set the tone – as
Jackie van Vliet,
Mali Sawyer and
Taylor Alexander all had two kills and van Vliet combined for three blocks – as C of I opened a 17-6 lead and eased to the win.
The Yotes broke an early tie in Set 2 with an 8-2 push – getting three kills from
Ashley Pagan and two more from
Kaydre Thompson – to grab a 14-8 lead. The Buffs would ride three Abby Falcone kills to cut the margin to 18-16, but following a timeout, Pagan ripped consecutive winners to give the Yotes control and take the two set lead.
Set 3 was all C of I, as Pagan had three winners and van Vliet added two kills and three blocks in a 15-2 run that put the match away.
Pagan led C of I with 12 kills and 11 digs, with Alexander recording nine kills and van Vliet logging six kills and seven blocks.
Marija Djonovic was dominant, recording four kills, 36 assists, nine digs and three blocks, with
Drew Dobney leading the Yotes with 13 digs. C of I hit above the 30-percent threshold in all three sets – finishing the match at a .311 percentage.
The Yotes forced 28 hitting errors by the Buffs (compared to just 24 kills) – the worst hitting percentage by a C of I opponent since the 2016 season. Julia Codispoti had six kills and Kellee Geren had 20 assists and nine digs to lead MC.
C of I will play for the Pool A title tomorrow at 4 p.m. (CT) against top-ranked Grand View (Iowa).
