Cardinal volleyball team finishes 3-1 at CSI tourney

| September 8, 2013 9:00 PM

* VOLLEYBALL

TWIN FALLS - Larissa Claassen had 14 kills and 15 digs for the North Idaho Cardinal volleyball team, which lost a five-set match to 11th-ranked Blinn College 27-29, 22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 15-6 in the Starr Corporation Invitational on Saturday on the campus of The College of Southern Idaho.

Leeta Grap had 14 kills and 11 digs and Russia Robinson had 28 digs for NIC against Blinn.

Later, Claassen had 17 kills, three blocks and seven digs and Brittany Aldridge had 12 kills as NIC (5-3) swept Laramie County 25-18, 25-16, 25-13 to finish the tournament 3-1.

NIC competes in the Pizza Hut Invitational in Sterling, Colo., starting on Friday.

"The drive home got a little easier with the win against Laramie County," NIC coach Miles Kydd said. "Against Blinn, we started really flat in the fifth and had the deer-in-the-headlights look and it was over before we knew it. It was a pretty good weekend overall. A lot of the teams were more athletic than we were, but we found a way to compete."

Robinson had 17 digs in the win.

* MEN'S SOCCER

Otero 4

North Idaho 0

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Ramiro Ceja scored two goals in the first half to lead the Rattlers of La Junita, Colo., past the Cardinals in a nonleague match on the campus of Laramie County Community College.

NIC (3-1-1) was scheduled to play Iowa Lakes on Saturday, but NIC coaches were told they were unable to make the trip due to a lack of healthy players.

"It took us too long to get into what we were doing," NIC coach Ken Thompson said. "It takes playing a team like that to make you realize what your goals are."

NIC played without Rodger Bucknor and Adam Talley, who stayed in Coeur d'Alene to recover from concussions.

NIC will face Laramie County today.

First half - 1, Ote, Ramiro Ceja (Alejandro Santiago), 2:00. 2, Ote, Zach Leon (unassisted), 4:00. 3, Ote, Ceja (Santiago), 19:00. Second half - 4, Ote, Jacob Gonzales (Jorge Hernandez), 82:00.

Shots on goal - NIC 8; Ote 15.

Saves - NIC, Tanner Jones 5; Ote, Julio Sanchez 2.

* WOMEN'S SOCCER

Iowa Lakes 3

North Idaho 1

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Taylor Turpin and Lizzy Rasmussen scored first-half goals for the Lakers, which beat the Cardinals at Laramie County Community College.

Emilee Cordon scored on a rebound for NIC in the 65th minute, but Iowa Lakes closed out the match with a goal in the 73rd minute.

"This game was a bit of a setback for NIC, but setbacks can be OK early in the season if we learn from it," NIC women's soccer coach Dan Hogan said. "We're facing another tough challenge tomorrow against the host team."

NIC (2-2-1) faces Laramie County today.

First half - 1, ILCC, Taylor Turpin (unassisted), 7:00. 2, ILCC, Lizzy Rasmussen (Kacie Anderson), 23:00. Second half - 3, NIC, Emilee Cordon (Kellsi Parson), 65:00. 4, ILCC, Mashaela Farris (Emma Robinson), 73:00.

Shots on goal - NIC 6, ILCC 8.

Saves - NIC, Whittni Mundel 3, Alex Rodriguez 2; ILCC, Julianna Gibson 3.