OMAHA, Neb. – No. 18 College of Idaho volleyball was pushed to the brink twice on Friday at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Invitational, falling in a five-set battle with No. 20 Midland, 25-20, 17-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13, before regrouping in the evening to defeat host College of Saint Mary, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21.
In the opener, Midland controlled the opening set before the Yotes (4-1) answered back with a dominant second frame, hitting .316 to even the match. After the Warriors took a back-and-forth third set, C of I forced the decider by pulling away late in the fourth. The fifth set saw the teams trade points until Midland broke a 12-12 tie with a pair of kills and held on despite a late Yote push. Abigail Flerchinger led C of I with 13 kills, while Cora Young added 11 on .474 hitting. Alexa Wheeler was a defensive presence at the net with nine kills and eight blocks, and Shaynee McWilliams dished out 30 assists as the Yotes limited Midland to .121 hitting.
The Yotes quickly turned the page against College of Saint Mary, racing out to a 1-0 lead with a steady first set before the Flames evened the match by capitalizing on a late run in the second. The third set was tight throughout, but a block from Mia Hutchinson and Cora Young sealed a 25-23 victory. In the fourth, C of I built a small cushion and never trailed after 18-16, closing the match on a block by Hutchinson and Young. Hutchinson finished with a dominant 22 kills on .304 hitting, while McWilliams delivered a 33-assist, 13-dig double-double. Wheeler chipped in five kills and eight blocks, and Keylee Wilson tallied 16 digs. The Yotes out-blocked the Flames 12-2 and held them to just .070 hitting.
C of I continues tournament play Saturday with two more matches to close out the CSM Invitational.
