KIRKLAND – Northwest topped No. 21 College of Idaho in four sets and replaced the Yotes in fourth place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings Saturday, 25-20, 25-20, 17-25, 25-16.
 
The Eagles held CI to a .119 attack percentage for the night and came up with 10 aces.
 
"College of Idaho's championship tradition makes them a unique challenge every time they are across the net, and tonight's match was no different," said NU Head Coach Steven Bain. "They gave us some looks on offense that we had not seen, so it took some time to adjust our serve and defense. Credit our ladies, though, for bouncing back and working hard to control each phase of their game. For the most part, we were able to put pressure on them with our serve and defense, and with the exception of the third set, we were solid in serve-receive, which enabled us to side out at a high percentage. The challenge now will be to maintain a growth mindset as we head into these last few weeks with the goal of continued improvement."
 
Northwest used a 4-0 run to build a 7-2 lead in the opening set. The Yotes pulled within two points on three different occasions from there, but the Eagles were able to answer every threat. 
 
Abigail Broussard posted three consecutive aces in a 4-0 Eagles run to gain some separation, 20-14, in the second set. The Yotes got no closer than three points from there.
 
The third set saw the Eagles let a 13-9 lead slip away, and CI later put together an 8-0 run to put the game out of reach.
 
Northwest reset itself in the final set, using a 6-1 run to build a 7-2 lead. After a brief respite, the Eagles turned up the heat with a 10-2 run to construct a 17-6 lead. Keann White had two kills and two blocks in that spree.
 
Broussard ended the night with a kill for the NU victory.
 
Tatiana Ensz led the Eagles with 12 kills and added 10 digs for the double-double. Courteney Carr had 21 assists, and Anna Saelens chipped in 15. 
 
Broussard had four aces to go with her nine kills, and Sarah Howlett produced eight kills.
 
Defensively, Cristina Hegarty had 13 digs to lead the back, while Broussard and Kyle Szczepanski regulated the front line with seven blocks each.
 
Ashley Pagan had 14 kills and 16 digs to lead the Yotes in both categories.
 
The Eagles improved to 12-11 on the season and 10-7 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference with their final home game coming up Saturday against Evergreen State.
 
CI dips to 14-9 overall and 9-7 in conference games.