NIC ROUNDUP: O'Brien, Tapia win at Spokane Open

| November 22, 2022 1:05 AM

WRESTLING

SPOKANE — Brandon O’Brien (133) and Kanai Tapia (149) won championships for the North Idaho College Cardinals at the Spokane Open on Sunday at the Spokane Convention Center.

O’Brien beat teammate Zachary Lopez 5-3 in the finals.

Kobi Johnson was third at 125 for the Cardinals; Ben Mitchell third, Porter Craig sixth at 157; Bradley Whitright third, Shai Murray sixth at 197; Ryan Graves fifth at 149 and Ethan Miller fifth at 174.

NIC returns to action Dec. 2 at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Mont.

VOLLEYBALL

NIC falls in NWAC

third-place match

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — North Idaho lost to Bellevue 25-22, 15-25, 25-22, 25-21 in the third-place match at the NWAC Volleyball Championships on Sunday at Pierce College.

Jessica Stires had 17 kills and a .429 hitting percentage for NIC (27-6). Taylin Rowley added nine kills and 24 digs and Abigail Neff had 38 assists and 15 digs.

Neff was named to the all-tournament first team, Stires to the second team.

Linn-Benton won its second straight conference title, beating Columbia Basin in five sets. CBC defeated NIC in five sets in Saturday’s semifinals.