WEST PLAINS, Mo. — At the NJCAA tournament for the third time in four years, the North Idaho College volleyball team will finish right where they entered the tournament.

The top eight in the nation.

Despite 16 kills, 10 digs and five blocks from sophomore Yang Yang, the seventh-seeded NIC Cardinals lost to second-seeded Western Nebraska 26-24, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21 in the second round of the NJCAA volleyball tournament Thursday on the campus of Missouri State-West Plains College.

“I thought we played very well,” NIC coach Kandice Gregorak said. “Every team here we’re going to play is very good.”

NIC, ranked eighth in the NJCAA poll, finished fifth in 2010 and ninth in 2011.

Western Nebraska had 32 errors in the match, compared to 26 for NIC.

“We had a couple serve receive and hitting errors,” Gregorak said. “Anything can happen at nationals. This year, it’s pretty wide open.”

Kaitlyn Molloy had 14 digs and Brooklynn Bradbury added 18 assists for NIC (23-6), which faces sixth-seeded Central Florida (34-7) today at 12:30 p.m. PST. With a win, NIC will advance to the fifth-sixth place match on Saturday, and with a loss will play in the seventh-eighth place match on Saturday.

“It’s huge,” said Gregorak, in her second year as NIC coach. “We’re going to leave here and worst we could do is eighth. It’s pretty cool and to be in the top eight in the nation is really huge. These girls deserve it.”

Central Florida beat NIC in the first match at nationals last year and NIC beat Central Florida in five sets at the Southern Idaho tournament earlier this year.

“They’re a good, athletic team,” said Gregorak of Central Florida. “They really don’t have a weak spot that we can try to work on. It’s a bittersweet relationship we’ve got with them, but we’re going to be pretty pumped to play them.”

Earlier, Yang had 16 kills and 10 digs as the Cardinals defeated Hutchinson (Kan.) 25-20, 25-15, 25-19 in the opening round.

Molloy had 10 kills and four blocks, Rosie Robinson 13 digs, Allison Meehan 15 assists and Brooklynn Bradbury 18 assists and three aces for NIC.

Meanwhile, top-seeded Southern Idaho, which beat NIC for the Region 18 title, beat Faulkner State (Ala.) and Hillsborough (Fla.) to advance to today’s semifinals.

At Missouri State-West Plains

Times PST

Thursday

FIRST ROUND

No. 3 Iowa Western d. No. 14 Temple 25-18, 25-18, 25-18

No. 6 Central Florida d. No. 11 Western Texas 25-12, 25-21, 25-14

No. 7 North Idaho d. No. 10 Hutchinson 25-20, 25-15, 25-19

No. 2 Western Nebraska d. No. 15 Wallace State-Hanceville 25-19, 25-19, 25-11

No. 1 Southern Idaho d. Faulkner State 21-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19

No. 8 Hillsborough d. No. 9 Missouri State-West Plains 25-18, 18-25, 29-31, 25-17, 15-8

No. 5 Tyler d. No. 12 Redlands (Okla.) 25-15, 25-8, 21-25, 30-28

No. 4 San Jancinto d. No. 13 Casper College 25-13, 25-13, 25-19

SECOND ROUND

No. 3 Iowa Western d. No. 6 Central Florida 31-29, 26-24, 25-23

No. 2 Western Nebraska d. No. 7 North Idaho 26-24, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21

No. 1 Southern Idaho d. No. 8 Hillsborough 25-16, 25-11, 25-20

No. 4 San Jacinto d. No. 5 Tyler (30-6) 25-17, 25-13, 25-23

Friday

ELIMINATION ROUND

Match 13 —No. 11 Western Texas (26-7) vs. No. 14 Temple (22-18), 8 a.m. (loser-out)

Match 14 — No. 10 Hutchinson (27-9) vs. No. 15 Wallace State-Hanceville (33-7), 8. (loser-out)

Match 15 — No. 9 Missouri State-West Plains (25-10) vs. No. 16 Faulkner State (27-8), 10. (loser-out)

Match 16 — No. 12 Redlands (Okla.) (23-10) vs. No. 13 Casper College (23-18), 10. (loser-out)

Match 17 — No. 6 Central Florida (34-7) vs. No. 7 North Idaho (23-6), 12:30 p.m.

Match 18 — No. 8 Hillsborough (28-13) vs. No. 5 Tyler (30-6), 12:30

Match 19 — Winner Match 13 vs. Winner Match 14, 2:30

Match 20 — Winner Match 15 vs. Winner Match 16, 2:30

Match 21 — No. 3 Iowa Western (45-2) vs. No. 2 Western Nebraska (39-2), 4:30 (semifinal)

Match 22 — No. 1 Southern Idaho (31-1) vs. No. 4 San Jacinto (34-2), 4:30 (semifinal)