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PORTLAND, Ore. – Second-seeded Northern Colorado got all it could handle from third-seeded Idaho State in the first semifinal at the Big Sky Volleyball Championship Friday evening, but the Bears eventually escaped the Stott Center with a 3-2 victory.
Set scores were 22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 20-25, 15-11.
Northern Colorado (24-6) advances to the championship match tomorrow night at 7 p.m., against the winner of the Portland State-Montana semifinal contest.
After dropping the first set, the Bears steadily gained momentum and saw their hitting percentage continue to go up. UNC hit only .186 in the opening stanza, but then hit .277 in set two and .350 in set three.
After registering just a pair of kills in the first frame, Northern Colorado star outside hitter Kelly Arnold tallied 12 over the next two sets to put the Bears up 2-1.
The Bears scored four of the first five points of the second set and led the entire way. They appeared on their way to an easy victory, leading 19-12 at one point, before the Bengals mounted a comeback. Idaho State got to within 22-20, but Arnold gave the Bears their 23rd point and then UNC won it after Idaho State committed back-to-back attack errors.
Idaho State sent the match into a fifth and deciding fifth set behind the play of Jennika Wright. The freshman outside hitter came off the bench to record seven kills on nine swings and a .778 hitting percentage in set four. After Northern Colorado had gotten to within two, 18-16, Wright accounted for Idaho State's next four points and the Bengals eventually led 22-18 before winning the frame.
In the final set, back-to-back attack errors by the Bears allowed Idaho State to pull to within one, 6-5. But the Bengals gave two points back on errors and Jill Dawson served up an ace to make it 9-5 and Northern Colorado controlled it from there.
Arnold led Northern Colorado with 19 kills, Julies Stephenson added 17 and Ashley Lichtenberg had 14. Stephenson (22 digs) and Arnold (14 digs) recorded double-doubles, while Big Sky Libero of the Year Amanda Arterburn dug 24 balls.
For Idaho State (18-13), Haylee Thompson-Brock and Britta Bartschi-Rhodehouse both tallied 14 kills. Jaclyn Hone recorded 23 digs and Jenna Proost added 20 more.
NOTES: Northern Colorado will play for the Big Sky Championship for the second straight year. Last season they defeated Portland State, 3-1, to advance to the NCAA tourney for the first time ... Brittany Crenshaw chipped in 10 kills and six blocks for UNC. Lichtenberg also had six blocks as the Bears registered 13 in the match ... Idaho State concluded the season with its best record in seven years. At 18-13, the Bengals finished with their first winning record since the 2003 squad went 20-9 ... Thompson-Brock also dug 12 balls to register a double-double.
