LEWISTON, Idaho – A resilient and all-around team effort as the College of Idaho volleyball team came back from down two sets to none to rally for a win in five over host Lewis-Clark State College on Saturday night.
College of Idaho (18-12, 16-6 CCC) dropped a pair of close sets, 25-21 and 25-23 to begin the match. The Yotes came back to win the next three, 25-22, 25-16, 15-11 for the win. Analise Hitchock had 41 assists and seven digs as College of Idaho hit at a .155 clip in the win. Fellow setter
Savannah Hutchins had 20 assists and three service aces.
The Yotes'
Janae Rayborn led the attack with a double double with 14 kills and 17 digs. Teammates
Alexa Wheeler and
Gabriella Rios had 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Wheeler also had six blocks as the Yotes recorded nine as a team. Two more components to the win was the play by libero
Clair Hodge, who had 24 digs and
Haley McUne added 19.
With the third set tied at 19 and for the 11
th time in the set, College of Idaho went ahead on a kill by Wheeler and a service ace by McUne to go along with a setting error by the Warriors put the Yotes ahead for the remainder of the set. Rayborn picked up four kills, including set point to lead College of Idaho.
The fourth set saw College of Idaho take a 3-0 to begin the set and lead for the entire set. In the set, College of Idaho had 14 kills and a .343 hitting percentage and LC State had 10 kills and eight errors to go along with a .051 hitting percentage.
The deciding fifth set saw the host Warriors take a 3-0 lead to start the set. A determined C of I squad led by its block efforts to take an 8-6 lead that prompted a time out for LCSC. The Warriors managed to tie the set at eight but kills by
Jade Warren and
Jerzie Pluid to go along with a block by the tandem of Pluid and Wheeler put College of Idaho ahead 11-8 and for the remainder of the set.
Next, College of Idaho will head to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed. Action for the Yotes will begin on Friday, Nov. 10 at 12:30 p.m. (PST) with an opponent to be determined in La Grande, Ore. at Eastern Oregon University.
