Photo Gallery

Lourdes took the opening set from 12^th-ranked College of Idaho late Wednesday evening in the NAIA National Championships, but the Yotes responded in each of the next three sets to defeat the Gray Wolves 23-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-14 inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
 
"We were able to start the match playing at a high level," head coach Greg Reitz said afterwards.  "We executed our game plan and looked relaxed on the court during the first set.  We lost some of our momentum late in the set and had a hard time regaining it the rest of the match."
 
After tallying just 18 kills in their first pool play match on Tuesday against Northwestern (Iowa), Lourdes racked up 14 kills in the first set alone on Wednesday to take the early lead.  Trailing 15-14, Lourdes scored the next four points to take a three-point advantage.  After the Yotes tied the set at 19, Lourdes scored five unanswered points, two on service aces by Shannon Fischer (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy).  College of Idaho pulled within one, 24-23, but a service error gave the Gray Wolves the opening set.
 
In the second, College of Idaho raced out to a 17-9 lead, before Lourdes tried to fight back.  Kristin Murrell (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic H.S.) served up six straight points as part of an 8-1 Gray Wolf run, making it a one-point set, 18-17.  The Yotes responded with six of the next seven points to even the match.
 
College of Idaho (22-6) used a 9-1 run early in the third to build a 14-7 lead.  Lourdes managed to pull within four, 18-14, but the Yotes scored seven straight to close out the stanza.  That momentum carried into the fourth set, as College of Idaho scored eight unanswered points after Lourdes scored the first point of the set, four of which came on blocks and two more on aces.  The Gray Wolves were never able to make a run the rest of the match.
 
Tylar Roberson (Elkhart, Ind./Central H.S.) and Chelsea Lawrence (Palmdale, Calif./Highland H.S.) led the offense with eight kills each as Lourdes hit .160 for the match.  Defensively, Sarah Wisser (Schoolcraft, Mich./Schoolcraft H.S.) and Angelica Dippold (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy) each had 16 digs.
 
Jackie van Vliet led the Yotes with 17 kills and hit .500 for a team that connected at a .299 clip for the match.  Marija Djonovic handed out 56 assists and added 16 digs while Kilee Lopez had a match-high 20 digs.
 
Lourdes (22-13) will close out the 2017 season on Thursday evening, as the Gray Wolves battle 21^st-ranked Bellevue in the final match of pool play at the NAIA National Championships.