CALDWELL, Idaho – Northwest rallied to win a five-set thriller at College of Idaho Friday, picking up their first win in Caldwell since 2005.
 
The Eagles won 18-25, 25-13, 25-15, 21-25, 15-10.
 
"The tradition at C of I is one of the finest in the NAIA so anytime you play here you have to battle championship DNA and tonight was no different," said NU Head Coach Steven Bain. "Idaho put pressure on us in the first set as we struggled in serve-receive and couldn't get anything going offensively. We made some adjustments though between sets one and two and that allowed us to stabilize the serve and pass, and enabled us to get back into the match. The fifth set was more of the same but credit our ladies for keeping their composure in a tough environment and making the plays when the match was on the line."
 
After dropping the first set, the Eagles bounced back with a vengeance in the second. Northwest used a 3-0 run to build a modest 8-4 lead. The Eagles then put up an 8-2 run that included three aces by Savannah Hale and two kills by Megan Horne for a 17-9 lead.
 
NU put the set out of reach with a 7-0 run that featured three aces and a kill by Abigail Broussard. Horne ended the match with a kill. The Eagles had a .560 attack percentage for the second set.
 
Northwest trailed 4-3 in the third set before erupting for six consecutive points, including two Horne aces and two kills by Azaria Johnson.
 
The Yotes rallied to within 12-10 before the Eagles launched a 5-0 run behind two aces by Kelsey Cummins. NU closed the set on another 5-0 run with Broussard delivering the set with a kill.
 
The fourth set went back and forth with the teams tied late at 20-20 before CI closed things out to force a fifth set. NU managed just a .047 attack percentage in the fourth set.
 
Down 8-7 in the final set, the Eagles got a kill by Horne and an ace by Cristina Lorenz in a 3-0 run to take a 10-8 lead, forcing a CI timeout.
 
Broussard got a block and Susana Bailey added a kill to make it 12-8 and the Yotes used their final timeout.
 
Back-to-back College of Idaho attack errors put the Eagles to match point, but the Yotes ended the 7-0 NU run. The hosts scored three consecutive points before Bailey ended the drama with a kill.
 
Horne led a trio of Eagles in double-figure kills with 14. Bailey added 13 and Broussard recorded 10. Horne and Anna Saelens had double-doubles with Saelens getting 46 assists and 10 digs to Horne's 12.
 
The Eagles served up 14 aces with Broussard and Hale getting four each while Horne, Lorenz, and Cummins added two apiece.
 
Lorenz led the back row with 16 digs. Horne and Johnson were in on two blocks apiece.
 
The win moved the Eagles to 6-9 overall and 5-5 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Northwest finishes off the weekend Saturday with a 5 p.m. match at No. 13 Eastern Oregon.