HUTCHINSON, Kan. - The College of Southern Idaho Volleyball Team defeated Seward County 18-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22 Friday to advance to the NJCAA National Championship match.
The Golden Eagles fell behind early and looked out of sync to start the match. But they stuck to the game plan CSI Head Coach Jim Cartisser mapped out for them and just stayed the course after trailing in each set.
It was the defense that created the offense all night. The Golden Eagles out-dug Seward County 71-58 and out-blocked the much taller Saints 17-6. CSI also used a smart service game to keep Seward out of system much of the night.
Leading the Golden Eagles offensively was sophomore Airi Miyabe. The outside hitter finished the match with 24 kills, 11 digs and four blocks. E'laisah Young had perhaps her best blocking match of the year. The sophomore finished with 12 blocks and five digs along with three kills.
The only other CSI player with double-digit kills was Jovana Vukcevic. She posted 10 kills and seven blocks.
The back row of Kylie Baumert, Makayla Bradford and Sacha Legros was solid all night. Baumert led them defensively with 29 digs. Legros and Bradford added seven.
Brianna Barta finished with 27 assists to lead the Golden Eagles and added three blocks.
CSI, now 30-2, will take on top-seeded Miami-Dade in the championship at 6:30 p.m. CST.