CALDWELL, Idaho - Canyon County rival College of Idaho defeated the Northwest Nazarene University volleyball team, 21-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-22, on Tuesday night before a record crowd of 705 in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.

The victory moved the NAIA No. 8 ranked Lady Yotes to 17-2 overall, while the Crusaders, ranked 9th in the NCAA West Region, fall to 13-10 overall.

The opening frame saw the Crusaders jump out to a 6-0 lead, including a pair of aces from Eki Punimata.  The C of I would rally, closing the gap to one point on four occasions - the last at 22-21, but a spike by Kailey Trautmanm keyed a 3-0 push to close out the set win.

Set 2 saw the Lady Yotes use a 7-0 push, helped by four NNU attack errors, to break open a 10-9 score - as Henning led the charge with four kills in the period.  Set 3 was all C of I, as Jessica Link had four kills as part of an opening 15-4 run to give the hosts the two games to one edge.

The finale was a see-saw affair, as the Crusaders got back-to-back Trautmann kills and a Cammy Dranginis spike to take a 6-1 lead.  However, the Yotes would use a 7-1 push to even the score at 12-12 on a Naomi Reimer kill.  NNU came right back, as a Coyote hitting error gave the Nampa bunch a 18-14 lead, but it didn't last long, as Marcella Hernandez had a pair of kills in a 6-1 run to give The C of I the lead at 20-19 - winning the match on a Henning spike.

Reimer had a big night for the Yotes, with nine kills, 21 assists, and 17 digs, while Hernandez added eight kills.  Madie Machurek had 22 assists and 11 digs, with three others - Whitney Owen (30), Courtney Combe (11), and Nathy Neres (11) each recording double-digit digs.

NNU - which was playing without starters Lindsey Grant and Haley Hevern, got ten kills from Dranginis, with Alaina Barber recording six spikes.  Punimata had 19 assists, nine digs, and five aces for the Crusaders, with Elisa Mooney recording 16 digs.

The Crusaders will return home to host Saint Martin's University this Saturday at 7:00 p.m.