Volleyball: Idaho claims key victory over Eastern Washington

Tineke Bierma had 11 kills and four blocks and Katelyn Peterson added nine kills and 11 digs as Idaho took over sole possession of first place in the Big Sky Conference North Division with a 25-12, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21 win over Eastern Washington (14-11, 9-5) Saturday at Memorial Gym in Moscow, Idaho.

The Eagles’ Jessica Gilbert had 17 kills and Ashley Seiler added 14 kills and six digs.

Idaho (13-13, 10-4) and EWU both have two remaining regular-season matches.

Whitworth wins, secures NWC regular-season title

Cassandra Mendoza had 15 kills and Nicole Leonard added 14 kills and 15 digs as Whitworth secured the Northwest Conference regular-season title with a victory over Lewis & Clark (10-13, 7-9) in Portland. Scores were 29-31, 25-21, 25-20 and 25-8.

Maddy Dinsmore added 47 assists and 16 digs for the Pirates (19-7, 13-3), who advanced to the NCAA tournament. The tournament field will be announced on Monday.

Loyola Marymount tops Gonzaga

Rachelle Suaava had 24 kills and nine blocks and Sarah Sponcil added 18 kills and 18 digs as Loyola Marymount (19-7, 10-4) topped Gonzaga in five sets in a West Coast Conference match in Los Angeles. Scores were 25-21, 29-31, 21-25, 25-18 and 15-8.

GU’s Savannah Blinn had 20 kills and Emmy Allen added 11 kills and 13 digs.

Gonzaga (14-12, 5-8) hosts San Diego on Thursday.

North Idaho earns spot in national tournament

North Idaho (13-12) was swept by Southern Idaho (31-3) in the Region 18 championship match in Twin Falls, Idaho, but the Cardinals secured a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament with a straight-set semifinal win over Salt Lake (25-8).

NIC fell 25-21, 25-23 and 25-12 in the title match.

Against Salt Lake, Brenna Meehan had 12 kills and nine digs, Penny Gwynn had 10 kills and nine digs and Brittany Gay dished out 38 assists as the Cardinals won 25-16, 25-20 and 25-20.

The national tournament will be held Nov. 19 through Nov. 21 in Casper, Wyoming.

Meehan was named to the All-Region 18 first team, Gwynn and Hannah Christianson were second-team selections and Jadan Ross and Brooke Bell were honorable mention, as was Colorado Northwestern’s Miranda Miller (Coeur d’Alene High School).