TWIN FALLS - The fourth-ranked College of Southern Idaho volleyball team sputtered for just a short while in game 2, but came back to beat sixth-ranked Salt Lake 25-18, 19-25, 25-20, 25-18 to win the Region 18 Championship Saturday.
The Golden Eagles dominated game one, hitting close to .500 with 15 kills and three errors on 26 attempts. Leading the way was outside hitter Natasa Savovic. She finished the first set with six kills on seven attempts. CSI struggled to find a rhythm in game two and started slow in game three, falling behind 11-7. But CSI went back to what was working and fed the ball to Region 18 Player of the Year Savovic.
Savovic finished the match with 20 kills and no errors on 36 attempts. She added 10 digs and four blocks.
The sophomore was rewarded for her leadership, earning Region 18 Tournament MVP. Teammates Chloe Watson and Kendall Brock also received all-tournament accolades. Watson finished the match with 11 kills and eight digs. Brock had nine kills and four blocks. Katarina Kojic posted 46 assists and Lepeka Kalulu-Sugai had 14 digs.
The Golden Eagles, now 32-2, will head to the NJCAA National Tournament Nov. 20-22 in Casper, Wyo.
Other all-tournament members included Salt Lake's Kallie Schmit, Carol Grasso and Rachel Davis.
Salt Lake also qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament.