After entering the season as an unranked team and figured to be the fourth best team in its conference, the North Idaho College volleyball team finished sixth, going 2-2, at the NJCAA national tournament in Casper, Wyo., which took place Nov. 21-23.
“I’m really satisfied with how we finished,” NIC sophomore libero Russia Robinson said. “Of course, I would always like it to be better but just the fact that we kind of came in almost as underdogs I guess. Nobody thought that we were going to be there. The fact that we went in there and did good was definitely a great accomplishment.”
No. 3 seed Western Nebraska beat No. 9 NIC (18-12) in five sets (25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-9) in the fifth-sixth place match.
NIC head coach Miles Kydd said he didn’t know how to feel about finishing in sixth place.
“I guess with time you’ll have a little more perspective,” Kydd said. “Everything that happened this year, for me, was just like, I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what it takes to be good (since this is Kydd’s first year coaching at NIC and in the NJCAA).”
The Lady Cardinals opened up the tournament with a win in straight sets (26-24, 25-22, 25-17) against eighth-seeded Arizona Western College.
NIC advanced to the quarterfinals to face top-seeded Blinn College (Brenham, Texas) but lost in four sets (21-25, 25-23, 18-25, 18-25).
“I don’t think Blinn is that much better than us,” Kydd said. “One of the things we’ve talked about all year is finding a way when the score gets to 20. Those are the championship points. Against Blinn, we weren’t able to do that.”
Kydd said “most the teams we played against were way bigger and more physical than we were.”
The Lady Cardinals then beat No. 4 Iowa Western Community College in four sets (24-26, 26-24, 25-23, 25-21) before losing to Western Nebraska.
NIC played Blinn, Iowa Western and Western Nebraska earlier this season. NIC lost to all three of them, including five sets to Blinn and three sets to Iowa Western. Western Nebraska beat them twice, the first time in five sets at the Salt Lake Community College Crystal Inn Invitational Aug. 30 and the second time in four sets at the Northeastern Junior College Pizza Hut Invitational Sept. 13.
Robinson said it was nice beating Iowa Western, avenging her team’s loss to it earlier in the season.
Robinson was named to the all-tournament team and credits her teammates and coach for the honor.
“I think that if it wasn’t for my team, if it wasn’t for the girls that I had and for Miles putting in all the work with me, then I wouldn’t have been able to even actually get that award,” Robinson said.
“Our team passing was through the roof this weekend and a large part was because of her passing,” Kydd said.
Kydd also said that, among other things, Robinson is a great setter.
“The other thing that she does better than anybody I’ve ever coached and anybody at that tournament was setting the second ball, just her ability to set our attackers is unrivaled in the NJCAA this year.”
Kydd also said statistically, Larissa Claassen played her best volleyball all year at regionals and nationals.
In the championship game, Blinn beat No. 2 Tyler College (Tyler, Texas) in four sets. No. 6 Salt Lake, who beat NIC in the Region 18 championship game, finished fourth.
