Nov. 5, 2005
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Felice Yocopis recorded a 22-kill, 26-dig effort as Idaho State came back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Northern Arizona 3-2 Saturday night in a pivotal Big Sky game with tournament implications.
Idaho State dropped the first two games, 26-30, 26-30, and then took three straight, 30-24, 30-17, and 15-12. The win pushes Idaho State's record to 10-16 overall, 4-8 in Big Sky play. Northern Arizona falls to 4-18 overall, 3-10 in league play.
"We played too stressed in games one and two and that took us out of our game plan," said ISU head coach Mike Welch. "After the two losses our team decided that they were going to come out and leave it all on the floor, and they took over the match."
Yocopis, who was honored prior to the game as the lone senior on this year's squad, recorded her 20th double-double of the season. The senior outside hitter notched her 22 kills with just five errors on 64 attacks for a .266 attack percentage. Along with her 26 digs, Yocopis recorded three assists and four blocks.
"Felice is an amazing player who always comes through for us," Welch said. "She kept her composure and that carried over to the rest of the team. She really guided our team to the win."
Nikki Havens helped the Bengals with a 22-kill, 16-dig double-double effort. Havens recorded a .228 hitting percentage on the night. Zoe Beltz also reached double-digit kills with 11. Amanda Bevens also recorded a double-double with a match-high 55 assists and 14 digs.
Northern Arizona was led by Kailee Savage, who had a team-high 17 kills. Katy Knowlton led the Lumberjack defensive effort with 26 digs.
The win keeps the Bengals in sixth place in the Big Sky Conference, which would give them the final spot in the Big Sky Tournament. Idaho State sits in sixth place with a 4-8 record, while Northern Arizona falls to seventh with a 3-10 record. Montana is currently 2-9, but is plays at Portland State tonight.
Idaho State will close out regular season play next week at Montana State on Nov. 11 and at Montana on Nov. 12. The Big Sky Tournament will take place at Sacramento State Nov. 17-19.
