OLYMPIA, Wash. – Seniors
Austyn Mauzy and
Danielle Neuman made sure The College of Idaho remained squarely in the Cascade Conference postseason chase, combining for 32 kills as the Yotes used a season-high .393 hitting percentage in a 3-set sweep of Evergreen inside the CRC Gymnasium.
The win for the Yotes (14-15, 11-10 CCC), coupled with losses by both Northwest and Lewis-Clark State, pulled C of I into a 3-way tie for fifth in the standings heading into their regular-season finale tomorrow. A win in the 5 p.m. (PT) matchup at NU will clinch the Coyotes no worse than the No. 5 seed in the league tournament.
Mauzy posted her first career double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs – with just one attach error, while Neuman had 15 kills on just 24 swings – as C of I had a commanding 52-27 edge in kills against a Geoducks (10-12, 10-11) that had their playoff hopes shattered with the loss.
Set 1 featured 15 ties and six lead changes, as TESC took a 23-22 lead on a C of I serving error. The Yotes answered with a Neuman kill for a side-out, with consecutive kills from Neuman and
Emily Vandenberg ending the set.
C of I rode Neuman in Set 2, pounding down five kills in a 14-6 run to open the set. Mauzy was the key in Set 3, recording six kills in a 14-3 run that erased a Geoduck 10-8 lead.
Jaden Warren added nine kills in the win, with
Sidney Frith posting 43 assists and 11 digs.
Cameron Wallace had five kills and a match-high five blocks.
Zoe Shaw had nine kills and 10 digs in the loss for TESC.
