Cardinals come home, knock off Bellevue in four

COEUR d'ALENE — The coach was used to it.

As for the players, some with the North Idaho College volleyball team will get used to it soon.

"It was very comfortable for me," said first-year NIC coach Brittany (Gay) Tilleman, who played at NIC in 2013 and 2014 after graduating from Lake City High. "You could tell that for the girls, being here, in front of a loud crowd, it was a little different. It was exciting, but something we'll get used to the more we're at home."

Freshman Grace Keisel had 14 kills and 14 digs and freshman Karolyne Wolfgramm had 37 assists and 10 digs for the Cardinals in their home opener, a 25-10, 24-26, 25-15, 25-16 nonconference win over the Bellevue Bulldogs at Christianson Gymnasium on Tuesday.

"Karolyne does a good job of moving the ball around and controlled the game very well," Tilleman said. "In the second set, we were a little too laid back and didn't play disciplined volleyball. But we did that in the other three sets."

Freshman Morgan Claus had nine kills and 13 digs, sophomore Jessica Stires 11 kills and sophomore Brooke Minden 21 digs for NIC (5-0).

"All of our hitters had a lot of fun tonight," Tilleman said. "Our hitters did a good job of picking their shots and it allowed us to play good volleyball and stay in system."

NIC will compete in the Coach G Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash.

On Friday, NIC will face Lower Columbia and Linn-Benton, then conclude the tournament against Edmonds and South Puget Sound on Saturday.

For more information on North Idaho College Athletics visit the Coeur d'Alene Press:  https://cdapress.com/news/2023/aug/30/nic-roundup/