Cardinals clinch playoff bid with sweep of Walla Walla

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Sophomore Rachael Stacey had 11 kills and 14 digs and freshman Gracie Keisel 11 kills and 12 digs for North Idaho College, which clinched a berth into the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament with a 25-22, 25-14, 25-23 sweep of the Walla Walla Warriors on Friday.

NIC (24-1, 12-0 NWAC) has won 18 straight matches.

Sophomore Abigail Beaton had nine kills, freshman Madilyn Harper eight kills, freshman Omayra Valle 19 digs, freshman Hailey Hillman 34 assists, sophomore Brooke Minden of Post Falls four aces and freshman Lily Leidenfrost three aces and two blocks for NIC.

"We had a lot of fun with this match at the net," first-year NIC coach Brittany Tilleman said. "We had one blocker or no blocker in front of us, which allowed our hitters to go after the ball. We were a little high error from being overly excited about the block, but handled it well. We did an excellent job of keeping them out of system and defending their shots."

NIC visits Wenatchee Valley, the second-place team in the East Region on Wednesday.

Walla Walla is 6-12, 4-8.

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