FULLERTON, Calif. — The College of Idaho volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a pair of wins Friday at the Hope International Summer Slam, sweeping host Hope International before rallying for a four-set victory over Life Pacific at Darling Pavilion.

The Yotes (2-0) opened the day with a dominant 25-14, 25-10, 25-19 sweep of Hope International.

College of Idaho hit .292 as a team in the opener, recording 33 kills against just seven errors. Abigail Flerchinger led the attack with eight kills on 13 swings, hitting .538, while Keylee Wilson also recorded eight kills without an error in 18 attempts. Jessica Stires added six kills and three blocks, and Alexa Wheeler contributed five kills and three blocks.

Shaynee McWilliams orchestrated the offense from the setter position, recording 27 assists, while Kadance Jacobson and Avery Lewis, in her collegiate debut, each collected nine digs. Liza Montalbo added four service aces as the Yotes held Hope International to a .028 hitting percentage.

The Yotes carried the momentum into the afternoon, overcoming a first-set loss to defeat Life Pacific 17-25, 25-15, 25-13, 25-20.

Flerchinger paced College of Idaho with 14 kills and hit .440, while McWilliams put together an impressive all-around performance with seven kills, 30 assists and 15 digs. Wilson added 10 kills, and Cierra Bohrn chipped in five kills. The Yotes finished with 46 kills and limited Life Pacific to a .016 mark.

After dropping the opening set, College of Idaho responded by hitting .258 in the second set and .200 in the third to take control of the match. The Yotes then closed out the fourth set, 25-20, to complete the comeback and finish the opening day unbeaten.

Kadence Boyd also provided a spark from the service line, recording six assists and six service aces, including a stretch of three straight aces during the third-set run.

The Yotes will continue play Saturday at the Hope International Summer Slam.