CALDWELL, Idaho – Playing their first matches in 15 months, the College of Idaho struggled in their season opening matches, dropping a pair of 3-set decisions to Oregon Tech as part of the Cascade Conference Pod inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Yotes (0-2, 0-2 CCC) dropped the morning match to Tech 25-20, 25-15, 25-16, with OIT picking up the sweep with a 25-16, 25-13, 25-22.
The two returner starters for C of I led the way, as
Jade Warren combined for 17 kills and eight blocks, with
Abigail Guinn posting seven kills, 37 assists and 17 digs.
Tech (5-0, 2-0) got a combined 23 kills from Nicole Reyes, as the Owls hit .279 on the day and added 12 aces.
MATCH 1: OREGON TECH 3, COLLEGE OF IDAHO 0
OIT used big serving runs to earn the victory, recording just 10 hitting errors in the match. Tech opened Set 1 on a 9-2 run, getting three Reyes kills. The margin grew to 20-11, before C of I battled back, getting a pair of kills from both Warren and
Kylie Crossland, getting within 24-20, before an Owls side out ended the set.
Set 2 was tight through 15 points, as OIT held an 8-7 lead – but three-straight Faith Houck-Wylie kills started a 15-4 run that gave the visitors the win.
In Set 3, the teams combined for four early ties, as Crossland posted three kills for the Yotes, but OIT ran off 9-straight points on Lindsey Sampson serve to take a 15-7 lead and completed the sweep.
Crossland had eight kills, with
Brianna Barta adding six kills for C of I – with
Emily Vandenberg posting five kills and nine digs. Reyes led OIT with 11 kills, with Aubrey Kievit leading all players with 13 digs.
MATCH 2: OREGON TECH 3, COLLEGE OF IDAHO 0
After losing the first two sets, the Coyotes played well in Set 3, narrowly dropping the frame to the Owls.
Tech used a 10-2 run in Set 1, behind four Kaylin Talonen kills, to take a 19-9 lead, while closing Set 2 on a 13-4 push to take the commanding lead.
Set 3 looked to be the same, as OIT took a 10-6 lead on a Talonen kill, but the Yotes chipped away. A pair of Warren kills got C of I even at 12-12, while back-to-back combo-blocks from
Cameron Wallace and Guinn gave the hosts a 16-15 lead. The Owls battled back with a 4-0 run behind two Houck-Wylie kills, before the Yotes pulled within one point three different occasions, the last at 23-22 on a Warren- Barta block. However, a pair of C of I hitting errors ended the rally and the match.
Warren had 12 kills and four blocks, with Vandenberg recording six kills and seven digs. Guinn had 20 assists and nine digs, with
Ali Carpenter adding nine digs.
Reyes and Talonen each had 12 kills for OIT, with setter Lindsey Beck adding 19 assists and Kievit logging 14 digs.
Tomorrow, C of I closes out the opening weekend, hosting Multnomah University at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
