Box Score

North Idaho College Cardinals vs College of Southern Nevada Coyotes

By Devin Virissimo
 
North Las Vegas- The Coyotes demonstrated true heart and determination as they took on the Cardinals of North Idaho College. Numerous kills and timely blocks helped both teams as the CSN Sports Center came to life this Friday night.

The first set started out with the Cardinals taking an early lead, forcing the Coyotes to play behind and try to string together consistent points. Each time the Coyotes would reclaim the serve, the Cardinals would demonstrate textbook blocking as they held onto their lead. The Coyotes trailed by 4 heading into the end of the set and kills from Olivia Larson and JoHanna Alvarez-Thompson made sure they remained competitive. An ace from Bailey Bergquist created momentum but the Cardinals closed the door on the Coyotes to win 25-21.

The Cardinals got out to a fast start with an ace of the first serve; once again forcing the Coyotes to have to come from behind if they were to take the set. Kills from several Cardinals kept the ball out of the Coyotes hands as they started pull away. 3 more aces kept the Coyotes down, but never out. In true fashion, the Coyotes fought hard as Bergquist created another ace in hopes of sparking a late rally. The Coyotes libero Hannah Karas recorded a kill as well but the Cardinals won 25-11.

The Coyotes took the court after the intermission with determination in their eyes. As they have all season, the Coyotes continued to fight and never hung their heads as they were determined to battle back. CSN lead early but not without the Cardinals hot on their tails. Minor errors gave the ball back to North Idaho as they looked to finish off the Coyotes but Bergquist provided a huge spark of momentum towards the end of the match. She recorded five kills while Olivia Stet and Christina Beaver each had two. Olivia Larson provided a vital block and then Beaver placed a perfect serve to record her first ace of the match. The Cardinals lead was fading until they strung together the kills and serves they needed to take the set 25-18, finishing off the match in straight sets.

Next Thursday, Oct. 15, the Coyotes will play in the first annual Blue Out against the Utah State University-Eastern Golden Eagles at the CSN Sports Center.

For information, visit www.csncoyotes.com

Be Blue. Be the Howl.