Kirkland, WA - Northwest University earned a much-deserved victory against The College of Idaho, 3-2, extending its win streak to five. 

The Eagles started the first set swinging with a 6-0 head start, led by server Savannah Hale, who also got an ace. Towards the middle of the set, the Yotes closed in making things uncomfortable, but the Eagles pulled away for the win, 25-20. 

Out of the five sets, the Yotes scored first on four of them. The Eagles were able to get the jump on the lead early in the second set with a four-point stretch as Morgan Harter stepped in as the server. However, the Yotes proved too strong as they won six of eight down the stretch to win, 25-20. 

The third set started with the Yotes pulling off an impressive 5-0 lead. It was a back-and-forth set, and while the Eagles did reach an 18-15 lead, the Yotes roared back with a six-point stretch to take the set, 25-23, and the lead in the game.

The fourth set saw the Eagles more poised and defensive as they made key blocks and digs to keep themselves ahead of the curve. They were able to put themselves ahead 15-11, which was just enough to keep them in the lead for the rest of the set, tying the game and winning the set, 25-21.

The final set was chaos incarnate. It came down to the wire with the Yotes going five for eight to take a 12-10 lead. Thanks to senior Reece Denney, the Eagles came all the way back to score five unanswered for a crowd-erupting win, 15-12. 

History was also made by Kaitlyn Mickle who secured the third most kills in NU history with 22 kills. In front of her lies Marla Johnson with 23 against EOU in 2002, and tied for first with 24 are Susanna Bailey against Southern Oregon in 2021 and Amanda Peterson against Oregon Tech in 2002. 

Coach Steven Bain responded to the match. "Anytime a match goes five sets, there is ebb and flow, which is invariably related to serving and passing. Idaho was definitely on point in sets two and three. Their serving pressure forced us into tough situations, and we struggled to play clean. Fortunately, we were able to bounce back in set four, and when the match was on the line in the fifth set, it was our own serving pressure that allowed us to close out the match. Overall, I was very pleased with the effort of our ladies, and we are looking forward to the challenge of playing a terrific Eastern Oregon squad tomorrow."