CALDWELL, Idaho – A marathon Day 2 of the College of Idaho-Eastern Oregon Fall Classic saw the Coyotes earn a convincing afternoon victory over Montana Western, before dropping a tough 4-set encounter to The Master's inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Yotes (3-3) used a season-high 11 aces in the 25-16, 25-18, 25-15 win over Western, before TMU had four players post double-digit kills in a 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-19 victory over the hosts in the final match of the day.
Dordt (Iowa) is the lone unbeaten squad in the 6-team field – defeating Eastern Oregon and Carroll in highly contested matches – while EOU earned a win over Carroll and Western toppled The Master's.
Tough serving was the key in the Coyotes opener, as setter
Sydnee Steel had four aces and
Payton Elledge added three in the victory. Elledge set the tone in Set 1, recording all three of her aces in a 5-0 run that staked C of I to a 12-6, with two
Kylie Crossland aces extending the margin to 23-11.
A 5-0 run in Set 2 broke a 4-4 tie, while two kills and a block from
Cameron Wallace pushed the lead to 13-7 – and the Yotes would not look back. Set 3 was all C of I – rolling to an early 13-4 lead, as
Ella Fischer pounded down five kills in the frame.
Emily Vandenberg led the victors with eight kills,
Leyah de Souza added seven kills, while
Danielle Neuman and Wallace each had six kills and combined for seven blocks.
Sidney Frith had 20 assists, Steel added 17 assists to go along with her ace total, while
Isabelle Combs posted 27 digs.
The Bulldogs (1-2) were led by Kaitlyn White, who had seven kills, but Western was limited to a .085 hitting percentage.
The late match started nearly 90 minutes late – but the Mustangs (1-5) broke into the win column despite never using a bench player.
C of I led 4-1 in the first set on the strength of three-straight Neuman kills, but Emilye Grace Williams keyed a 13-3 run by TMU with three kills and a block – as the visitors grabbed the set win.
TMU led the majority of Set 2, before a 4-0 C of I run, capped by a Fischer kill, gave the Yotes their first lead at 21-20. Tied at 23, Fischer came through with another kill and a combo-block by de Souza and Wallace completed the Coyote comeback to even the match.
Set 3 saw two huge runs – a 10-0 push by TMU to build a 17-6 lead – only to watch the Yotes answer with a 14-3 surge, as a
Brenna Hawkins-Neuman block evened the score at 20-20. TMU had the answer, as Williams combined on consecutive blocks and a Faith Tarver kill ended the set.
The Mustangs never trailed in Set 4, using a 5-0 run, capped by a Ruby Duncan kill, to lead 18-11, with Williams ending the night with a kill.
Emily Scott led all players with 14 kills, with Duncan and Tarver each posting 12. TMU setter Natalie Collins had 52 assists and 10 digs.
Three Coyotes had eight kills in the loss – Vandenberg, Neuman and de Souza, with Neuman posting five blocks. Frith had 23 assists and Combs 16 digs for C of I.
C of I will close out tournament play tomorrow – meeting Carroll College at 11 a.m. and Dordt University at 7 p.m.
DAY 2 RESULTS
Eastern Oregon 3, Carroll 0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-20)
Montana Western 3, The Master's 0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-18)
Dordt 3, Eastern Oregon 2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 15-25, 16-14)
College of Idaho 3, Montana Western 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-15)
Dordt 3, Carroll 1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-17, 26-24)
The Master's 3, College of Idaho 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-19)
