SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - With their backs against the wall and trailing two sets to none, the College of Southern Idaho Volleyball team slowly fought its way back into a crucial Scenic West Athletic Conference matchup with Salt Lake, finally beating the Bruins 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 19-17 Tuesday.
The Golden Eagles took the early lead in the fifth set 7-3 but watched that lead disappear and with that the momentum. CSI trailed 13-11 but a kill by Alycia Wodke and a kill by Ashelyn Jones tied the game up.
Salt Lake scored on a kill by Jessica Quayle and again looked in control. But Alexandra Espinosa put a ball away to fight off SLCC's match point. The Bruins again took the lead but CSI answered this time with a Tawnee Luafalemana kill to tie it up at 15. The teams traded kills again before SLCC took the 17-16 lead on a Whitney Wray kill.
But that would be all SLCC would score as Luafalemana put down a kill to tie it at 17, Andrea Brady followed with a hitting error before Wodke powered a kill off the Bruin block to give CSI the victory.
With the win, the Golden Eagles improve to 23-3 overall and 6-1 in conference play. CSI travels to North Idaho Saturday and will look to avenge its only conference loss of the season. A win there would put the Golden Eagles in the driver's seat to host the Region 18 Tournament.
Four CSI players finished the Salt Lake match with double-digit kills. Wodke, Espinosa and Larissa Dos Santos all posted 16 kills. Luafalemana added 12. Espinosa led the Eagles with 24 digs, while Luana Thompson added 18. Regan Harr finished the match with a double-double of 50 assists and 14 digs.