SALEM, Ore. – Senior Rashelle Davenport (Kalama, Wash.) recorded a season, match, and team-high 17 kills to go along with fellow senior Chelsea Reeher's (Powell Butte, Ore.) 13-kill performance, as Corban's women's volleyball team defeated conference rival Concordia, 3-1 (25-23, 25-14, 22-25, 25-19), Tuesday night inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
In a must-win match for the Warriors, Corban came out with vengeance following an earlier loss to the Cavaliers of Concordia in Portland. The Warriors knew that a win would keep them in the playoff hunt and move them into a tie with Concordia for the fifth spot.
In the opening set, both teams battled back and forth with neither gaining more than a one-point advantage until Corban was whistled for a ball handling error that handed Concordia a slim two-point lead (7-5). Following the Warriors' miscue, a kill and service ace by sophomore Teri Braun (Dallas, Ore.) re-tied the set at 7-all and the battle continued until Davenport registered her fifth kill of the opening set to give Corban a four-point lead (22-18). Concordia would battle back via a five-point run and take the lead (23-22) before Corban scored the last three points of the opening set via a kill from Reeher and another by Davenport. Concordia would commit a fatal hitting error to give the Warriors the first set (25-23).
In the second set, Corban would use the momentum that was built up in the opening set and take a five-point lead (7-2) behind the serving of sophomore Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.) and the hitting of a trio of seniors -- Davenport, Reeher, and Rachel Gowen (Oregon City, Ore.). Corban would continue to apply the pressure and extend its lead to as much as 10 points (17-7) following a Concordia hitting error. The Warriors' largest lead would come following the set's final point, as Gowen ended the second set with a kill to give Corban the victory (25-14).
In the third set, Concordia would jump out to a quick three-point lead (3-0) before junior Andrea Potloff (Aumsville, Ore.) would serve the Warriors to a one-point advantage (4-3). Both teams would battle back and forth over the next 27 combined points until the score was knotted at 17-17. A 3-0 Concordia run would hand the Cavaliers a 20-17 lead that they would not relinquish en route to winning the third set (25-22).
The fourth and final set looked similar to the first and third, as neither team would gain much of an advantage until Corban used a 3-0 run that was highlighted by a Gowen kill to take a four-point lead (14-10) causing Concordia to call a timeout. Out of the break, the visiting Cavaliers battled back to within a single point (16-15) via a 5-2 run. Fortunately, the Warriors would not back down, as they used a 4-0 run that included kills by Potloff and freshman Tiffany Land (Independence, Ore.) to take a insurmountable 20-15 lead that forced Concordia to call its final timeout of the set. Concordia would take advantage of two Warrior hitting errors to pull within three (20-17) before Land and Gowen helped rebuild Corban's lead to five points (22-17) with back-to-back kills. The visiting Cavaliers would pull within four (22-18), but three hitting errors versus only one kill would spell the end for the visiting team en route to Corban winning the fourth set (25-19) and the match.
Along with Davenport and Reeher, Land and Gowen added seven kills each to go along with Braun's four-kill performance. Junior Amy Thompson (Oregon City, Ore.) and freshman Megan Dees (Tehachapi, Calif.) would run the Warriors' offense with a combined 39 assists, as Thompson handed out a team-high 24. As a team, Corban would amass 99 total digs with Franke leading the way thanks to a team-high 26. At the net, Gowen showed her dominance with a match-high eight blocks (3 solo, 5 assist) to go along with Davenport's four and Reeher's three.
Concordia was led by Mariana Toscano, who registered a team-high 12 kills, while Lindsey Fryer and a pair of Cavaliers recorded 8 and 7 kills respectively. Skyler Kamaka handed out a match-high 36 assists for Concordia, while Kim Lindow anchored the Cavaliers' back row with a match-high 28 digs.
With the victory, Corban moves to 8-8 overall, including 6-5 in conference play. Meanwhile, Concordia falls to 10-9 overall, 6-5 in conference action. The Warriors return to the court on Friday, October 10th, when they host the Beacons of Northwest Christian beginning at 7:00 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
