CALDWELL, Idaho – A big night from All-America outside hitter
Ashley Pagan led the College of Idaho to a key four-set victory over Northwest University in the Yotes Cascade Conference home opener inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Pagan had a season-high 18 kills, adding 17 digs and five aces in leading the No. 20-ranked Yotes (8-4, 3-2 CCC) to the 25-21, 25-14, 19-25, 25-19 victory.
C of I rode Pagan to a sweep of the first two sets – blasting a combined 10 kills and adding three aces in the frames. Consecutive
Jade Warren kills in Set 1 gave the Yotes a 19-16 lead as they pulled away, while Pagan had four kills and
Drew Dobney logged two aces in an 11-1 surge in Set 2 to give the hosts a 19-9 lead.
The Eagles (4-7, 2-3) used two big runs in Set 3 to prolong the match – getting three consecutive Hannah Michaels aces in a 5-0 run to open the set, with two combo-blocks from Abigail Broussard and Keann White fueling a 6-0 run to break a 15-15 tie.
In Set 4, the Yotes jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but NU got three aces from Michaels in a six-point surge to pull even at 9-9. Tied 17-17, Pagan converted consecutive winners and added the final dagger, capping an 8-2 run to close the match.
C of I hit a season-high .320 in the victory, finishing the night with a 65-45 edge in digs and recording 11 service aces.
Warren had 11 kills,
Jordyn Boswell had 11 kills and three blocks, with
Austyn Mauzy recording 10 kills. Setter
Abigail Guinn logged 47 assists and eight digs, with Dobney leading all players with 23 digs.
White had 15 kills in the loss for NU, with Broussard recording six kills and a match-high six blocks. Michaels led all players with six aces.
The Yotes return home tomorrow night, hosting Evergreen at 5 p.m.
