Tritons edge Yaks 3-1, Advance to Final Four

PASCO, Wash. — Edmonds College (35-1, 12-0) defeated Yakima Valley College (27-10, 13-1) in four sets on Friday at Columbia Basin College, winning 25-17, 25-23, 15-25, 25-15. Edmonds recorded 48 kills and 76 digs, while Yakima Valley managed 45 kills and 71 digs in the NWAC Elite 8 matchup.

Edmonds started the first set with a strong offensive push, quickly building a 2-0 lead with contributions from Jayda-Lee Kaeo and Haley Yost. Despite a few exchanges in scoring, the Tritons maintained a slight edge, with Olivia Miller and Yost adding crucial kills to keep them in front.

Yakima Valley momentarily drew level at 8-8, but Edmonds responded effectively. Key plays from Kaydence Green and Yost helped the Tritons regain momentum, leading to a 17-13 advantage. As the set progressed, Edmonds capitalized on several Yakima Valley errors, extending their lead.

Yost's diving play continued a key rally that was ended by a Green kill and proved to be an important moment that put Edmonds ahead 22-17 and forced a Yak timeout. Abby Barrow and Meredith Moszeter tallied back-to-back kills to close out the first set, 25-17.

In the second set, Edmonds took advantage on a series of Yakima Valley errors to gradually build a lead. A kill from Yost, set up by Barrow, extended their advantage to 9-6 early on. Despite service errors from both sides, Edmonds maintained control with effective plays, including a critical service ace by Alondra Zambrano that pushed them ahead 14-10.

Yakima Valley rallied in the later stages, and ripped off five straight points to take the lead 22-20. With the Yaks up 23-21 they initially earned the 24th point to go up three, but Edmonds coach Tony Miranda challenged the play. After a lengthy review the point was replayed. Following the challenge the Tritons notched five straight to take set two 25-23; the run was bookended by Abby Barrow service aces.

Edmonds began the third set with a kill by Yost, equalizing the score early after Yakima Valley initially took the lead. Despite multiple contributions from Yost and Kamaleimahie Auwae, Edmonds struggled with consistency, committing several attack errors that allowed Yakima Valley to pull ahead.

Yakima Valley widened their lead as the set progressed. Ailianna Quaempts was instrumental for the Yaks, delivering several kills that helped maintain their momentum. Edmonds called multiple timeouts to regroup, but Yakima Valley continued to score efficiently, ultimately closing the set with a 25-15 advantage.

Yakima Valley started the fourth set with momentum, quickly building a 7-4 lead following a series of kills by Swan and Patricia (Tia) Hendr. However, Edmonds responded after a strategic timeout and came back strong, led by Green's impactful plays, including a kill and a service ace, to tie the score at 11-11. The defense established their block to counter the Yaks offense and momentum swung back to the Tritons.

Edmonds then seized control, fueled by a series of successful plays from Auwae, Moszeter, and Miller, extending their lead to 18-12. The Yaks attempted to regain footing with a timeout but were unable to halt Edmonds' momentum. The set concluded with the Tritons securing a decisive 25-15 victory to win the match.

Yost had a significant contribution with 17 kills and 16 digs and added a service ace. Millea McMurry was pivotal in both setting and defense, accumulating 14 assists and 18 digs. Zambrano also made an impact defensively, recording 15 digs and adding two assists. Green bolstered the offense with 10 kills and served two aces, complementing her effort with three digs.

Edmonds advances to the Final Four on Saturday and will face Treasure Valley at 2 p.m. Treasure Valley swept Spokane 3-0 in their match on Friday afternoon.

Haley Yost was interviewed after the match

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