LA GRANDE, OR - The women's volleyball season came to a heartbreaking end this afternoon in a four set, quarterfinal match against No. 4 seed, The College of Idaho, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 21-25.

The Eagles started off slow only totaling eight kills in set one resulting in a .051 hitting percentage. The Yotes took advantage of a 9-0 run giving them a 15-8 lead. The Eagles responded with a run of their own including two kills from Karste Wright, that tied the set at 16-16. Two Yote kills followed by an Eagle error ended the set 26-24.

The Eagles collected 17 kills in the second set. NU took an early lead and kept it throughout the whole second frame. The Eagles used their best weapon, continuing to feed Kaitlyn Mickle, as she collected seven kills in just the second set. Wright ended the frame will a kill, 25-20.

Both teams played tight in set three, exchanging points until a 18-18 tie. Three consecutive points for the Yotes put CI up 21-18. The Yotes kept their lead until a kill ended the third set, 25-22.

The Yotes had the lead on the Eagles for majority of set four. The Eagles showed glimpse of closing the gaps, but could not quite take the lead back. NU brought themselves within one points, trailing at 20-21, but the Yotes were able to close out the match on a 4-1 run, ending the set 25-21.

Kaitlyn Mickle and Karste Wright each had 13 kills followed by Azaria Johnson with seven. Kylie Lunday totaled six blocks.

Morgan Harter recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 12 digs, as well as Allie Flynn with 16 assists and 10 digs.

Kelsey Moore led with 18 digs. 

Head Coach Steve Bain says, "Two evenly matched teams were doing their best to advance and the stat line will show that the margins between winning and losing today were very thin.  At the end of day, The College of Idaho was simply better in those tough moments and we have to give them credit for making plays when it counted. Not advancing though in no way diminishes the successes this group experienced this season and one thing I will take away is their willingness to set aside their own self interests to make their teammates and this program better. Already looking forward to our spring season and building on the progress we made this year."

The Eagles end their 2023 season with a 14-8 conference record, 18-11 overall.