COEUR d'ALENE - North Idaho College coach Kandice Kelly said her team would be in a fight against the College of Southern Idaho in the Region 18 volleyball tournament championship match on Saturday.

TKO, Golden Eagles.

CSI, seeded third in the tournament and ranked No. 9 overall, defeated the top-seeded and fifth-ranked Cardinals 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 at Christianson Gym to capture the regional championship for the first time since 2007.

The Cardinals (22-9) were looking for their fifth regional title in eight years, having won in 2010, 2008, 2006 and 2004. Both teams had clinched berths to nationals with wins on Friday.

"They are a great team and we knew they were going to come out fighting and it was going to be a hard match," NIC outside hitter Sabrina Ewing said. "We just fell a little short today."

NIC's best effort came in the third game, when the Cardinals had a 23-22 lead with the serve.

But on the ensuing point, a Cardinals spike into the net evened the match. Then, an NIC hit fell out of bounds giving the Golden Eagles (22-10) match point, which Taila Gnass capitalized on, splitting the NIC defense for the clinching kill.

"I think our energy as a team just wasn't where it normally is," Ewing said.

The Cardinals had 20 attacking errors in the match, compared to CSI's eight.

CSI trailed just four times in the first two games, and avenged two previous losses to NIC this season, including a match Oct. 1 in Coeur d'Alene where the Golden Eagles won the first two games.

"North Idaho is a very good team and has proven themselves at the national level," CSI coach Heidi Cartisser said. "They've beat up on us, but I think it really, really is tough to beat a team three times and I told our team that if we could apply pressure we would come out on top."

"You can't win games with all the errors we made," Kelly said. "We didn't dig many balls today either."

Yang Yang led the Cardinals with 14 kills, eight digs and one ace. Janele Vogt chipped in with 14 kills. Ewing recorded 10 kills for NIC, and Sierra Pancho had 25 assists.

Wilkinson and Beth Carey combined for six blocks in the match for CSI, totaling more than the entire NIC team combined.

The national tournament begins Nov. 17 in West Plains, Mo., and despite Saturday's rough performance, Kelly said she isn't worried about her team being ready.

"We have two weeks to prepare," Kelly said. "I'm not worried at all. These girls are focused at practice and our practices have been really good so this won't drag them down. The girls are excited to go to nationals and we're ready."

On going to nationals, Ewing said, "I wish it was tomorrow. I'm ready to go."

ALL-REGION 18 TEAM

FIRST TEAM - Leyla Redondo, Salt Lake (Player of the Year); Niurka Toribio, Snow; Beth Carey, CSI; Yang Yang, NIC; Keani Passi, CSI; Janele Vogt, NIC; Heather Meeuwsen, CSI (Libero of the Year).

SECOND TEAM - Mayra Ramirez, Salt Lake; Ashia Joseph, CSI; Miranda Parkinson, Utah State University - Eastern; Maddie Bushman, Salt Lake; Jenny Scott, Snow; Sierra Pancho, NIC; Kellie Turner, Salt Lake.

HONORABLE MENTION - Betty VanLith, Salt Lake; Taylor Wilkinson, CSI; Whitney Ashton, Salt Lake; Katherine Kendall, Snow; Mariah Smith, NIC; Kelsey Watkins, Colorado Northwestern; Joy Malone, Utah State University - Eastern.

Coach of the Year - Kandice Kelly, NIC.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Beth Carey, CSI, (MVP); Yang Yang, NIC; Janele Vogt, NIC; Emily Ottinger, CSI; Leyla Redondo, Salt Lake; Niurka Toribio, Snow.