CALDWELL, Idaho - CALDWELL, Idaho - It proved to be very fitting to get contributions from all of the seniors as the College of Idaho volleyball team defeated Bushnell in four, 25-21, 23-25, 25-15, 25-17 on Saturday.
Seven members of the College of Idaho volleyball team –
Analise Hitchcock,
Clair Hodge,
Callie Muniz,
Jerzie Pluid,
Janae Rayborn,
Gabriella Rios and
Jade Warren – were recognized in pre-match ceremonies for their contributions to the program both on and off the court.
College of Idaho (16-12, 14-6 CCC) was a balanced all-around team effort from its senior class - Hitchcock had 40 assists and three kills; Warren had nine kills and five blocks, Rios added eight kills, Rayborn posted seven kills, Hodge had 24 digs to go along with a pair of service aces and Pluid had three kills and two blocks with Muniz providing a spark on the bench in the win.
Bushnell (14-10, 12-8 CCC) posted a .120 hitting percentage with Halle Neumann leading the attack with 12 kills to pace the Beacons. Brooke Silvermail added nine kills and libero Bella Parque had 27 digs.
Rayborn led College of Idaho to the victory in the first set with four kills and
Alexa Wheeler added three with Pluid providing three kills and two digs to lead College of Idaho. The hot-hitting Yotes posted a .214 hitting percentage and the Beacons were held to a .098 clip.
The second set looked like a close set if you look just at the score. However, it was just tied once and featured one lead change but it was just enough for the visitors to tie the match at a set apiece.
The third set saw the two teams tied on three occasions but a blistering .323 hitting percentage with eight kills from
Shelbey Nichol led the Yotes as College of Idaho took the set by a 25-15 margin.
The hot-hitting efforts continued into the fourth set as College of Idaho posted a .368 hitting percentage with seven kills from
Gabriella Rios as they closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the final set.
College of Idaho will close out the regular season with a road trip to Walla Walla on Friday, Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. (MT) and Lewis-Clark State on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. (MT).
