FULLERTON, Calif. – Squaring off against a pair of quality Golden State Athletic Conference teams, the College of Idaho split their final two matches of the 2018 HIU/VU Summer Slam – defeating host Hope International before losing a marathon affair to Westmont.
The Lady Yotes (2-2) battled back for wins in the opening two sets and dispatched HIU 25-23, 25-22, 25-23, while in the late game, C of I could not hold off the No. 6 ranked Warriors, losing 15-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-11.
In the afternoon, the host Royals (2-2) put up a quality fight – grabbing big leads in each of the first two sets. HIU built a 18-12 advantage in Set 1, but two
Zuri Meehan aces started a 6-1 push to get the Yotes back in the frame, while a five-point run by Yotes gave them a lead at 23-22 that they would not squander. Leads of 5-0 and 20-14 were not enough for HIU in Set 2, as C of I closed the set on an 11-2 surge – including two huge tandem blocks from
Marija Djonovic and
Jackie van Vliet.
C of I put the match away early in Set 3 – as three
Austyn Mauzy aces paced a 7-1 run to open the period. HIU pulled within one point on three occasions, but the Yotes got three key side outs late, and a
Taylor Alexander kill closed out the victory.
Ashley Pagan had 13 kills and 18 digs to lead the Yotes, with Alexander recording 12 kills and nine digs and van Vliet notched 11 kills and four blocks. Djonovic had six kills, 34 assists and three blocks, with Meehan recording 14 digs.
The late match featured two NAIA national quarterfinalists and Top-10 foes – with the Yotes using big runs to open a two set lead. Alexander had three kills in a 10-2 run to close Set 1, while Pagan had three kills in a 10-3 run to open Set 2.
The No. 6 ranked Warriors (3-1) battled back behind 3-time All-American Libby Dahlberg, jumping to a 14-5 lead Set 3 and in Set 4, broke a 20-20 tie with a four-point run.
In Set 5, the Yotes scored the first three points, but three consecutive Dahlberg kills started a 5-0 WC run to give the California school the lead. C of I pulled within 10-9, but could not get closer.
Pagan had 22 kills and 13 digs, with Alexander recording 16 kills. Dahlberg led the Warriors with 20 kills in the win.
C of I will play an exhibition match Tuesday at Northwest Nazarene, before heading to Montana next weekend for the Big Sky Challenge.
