LA GRANDE, Ore. — No. 4–seed College of Idaho battled to the final whistle but came up short Thursday night, falling to seventh-seeded Walla Walla in a five-set Cascade Conference Quarterfinal, 30–28, 27–25, 25–27, 19–25, 15–11. The Yotes, who pushed the match to a decisive fifth after dropping the opening two frames, will now await Saturday's NAIA Selection Show to learn their postseason fate.
College of Idaho (18–10) showed resilience throughout, clawing back from a sluggish start that included an early 8–0 deficit in Set 1. The Yotes steadied late in the opening frames but couldn't quite overtake the Wolves, falling behind 2–0 before shifting the momentum.
Abigail Flerchinger led the Yotes' attack with 12 kills and six blocks, while Brooke Garman added 14 kills and six more blocks in a strong two-way performance. Alexa Wheeler was again a force at the net, finishing with five kills, seven blocks and key late points that helped extend the match.
After taking Set 3 behind timely swings from Garman and Flerchinger and a trio of service aces, the Yotes controlled the fourth frame with their best offensive stretch of the night, hitting .194 and closing on a 6–1 run to force a decisive fifth.
Momentum swung sharply in the tiebreak, where Walla Walla (14–11) surged ahead behind their top hitter Sahara Browning, who finished with 29 kills. The Wolves used a critical mid-set push to turn a 7–5 deficit into a 10–9 lead, and ultimately sealed the upset with a Paula Flores kill on match point.
Setter Madeline Lee posted 22 assists, three aces and 15 digs for the Yotes, while libero Kadence Boyd anchored the back row with 15 digs and a service ace.
Despite the loss, College of Idaho's full season body of work keeps them firmly in the conversation for an at-large NAIA bid. The Yotes will learn their postseason destination on Monday night during the NAIA Selection Show.
