SALEM, Ore. — The No. 9-ranked College of Idaho beach volleyball team closed out its 2025 campaign with a third-place finish at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship, going 1-2 in tightly contested matches at the Corban Beach Volleyball Courts.
The Yotes opened the tournament Thursday with a 3-0 loss to No. 7 Southern Oregon in clinch format, where the match ends as soon as one team secures three wins. Despite holding a lead at the No. 1 pairing, C of I was unable to notch a point before the match was called. Haley Hoopes and Sydney Dews led 21-14, 12-12 when play was stopped, while Ellie Baker and Faith Faucher trailed narrowly at No. 5.
Later that day, the Yotes responded with a 3-1 win over Northwest University. Dariya Tlevlessova and Lauren Gauna earned a straight-set victory at No. 4, followed by a hard-fought three-set win by Liza Montalbo and Maya Blake at No. 3. Baker and Faucher secured the deciding point at No. 5, closing out their match 24-22, 21-19. The top pairing of Hoopes and Dews was leading again when the match was halted.
Friday's semifinal brought a rematch with Southern Oregon after the Raiders dropped a match to No. 1-seed Corban. The contest proved to be a thriller, tied 1-1 with the final three pairings all going to a third set. Tlevlessova and Gauna once again came through for C of I at No. 4, but Southern Oregon completed the comeback with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 to clinch the 3-1 result. The No. 5 matchup was still in progress when the match was decided.
The Yotes close the season with a 10-8 overall record and will now await the NAIA's announcement of the eight-team field for the 2025 NAIA Beach Volleyball National Invitational.
