PORTLAND, Ore. – After clinching the sixth and final spot in the upcoming conference tournament last night with a victory, Corban's women's volleyball team fell to the Thunderbirds of Cascade, 3-1 (16-25, 27-25, 20-25, 21-25), Saturday night inside the Thunderdome in its final road match of the season.

Playing on the road for the final time during the regular season, Corban ran into a T-bird squad that took Concordia to five sets the night before in front of a hostile crowd.

In the opening set, both teams battled for the opening 18 combined points as the score was knotted at 9-all. A kill from sophomore Heather Anderson (Corbett, Ore.) and two more from senior Rashelle Davenport (Kalama, Wash.) gave Corban a slim one-point lead (10-9) before Cascade used a 7-0 run to take full control of Set #1 (16-10). In an attempted comeback, the Warriors got two kills each from Davenport, senior Chelsea Reeher (Powell Butte, Ore.), and sophomore Teri Braun (Dallas, Ore.) only to have the host T-birds use a set-closing 9-6 run to capture Set #1 by nine points (25-16).

In the second set, Corban took a two-point lead (9-7) following back-to-back kills by Braun and freshman Tiffany Land (Independence, Ore.). A 5-0 run gave Cascade a 12-9 lead before Corban used a 6-3 run to knot the second set at 15-15 following a T-bird attack error. Back-to-back kills from junior Amy Thompson (Oregon City, Ore.) and Braun gave the Warriors a slim two-point lead (17-15) only to have Cascade use a 5-1 run en route to gaining a two-point advantage (20-18). The Warriors would tie the set at 20-all and then used a 4-2 run to earn its first set point. Cascade used its never-say-die-attitude and via a 3-0 run of its own had set point at 25-24. Three straight Warrior points via a Davenport kill, T-bird attack error, and set-closing service ace by junior Andrea Potloff (Aumsville, Ore.) would give Corban the second set by two points (27-25).

In the third set, Corban held a two-point lead (13-11) following a Reeher kill only to watch as Cascade used a 5-0 run to take a three-point advantage (16-13) after a kill by Natalie Forgan. The Warriors would battle back within a mere point (19-18) following a kill by senior Rachel Gowen (Oregon City, Ore.), but Cascade would use a set-closing 6-2 run that including a 3-0 run at the end to earn the five-point win (25-20) and a 2-1 lead in sets.

In the fourth and final set, a somewhat dazed and confused Warrior squad watched as Cascade built an early five-point lead (10-5) following a bad set by Corban. The Warriors would fight back to within a single point (15-14) after a kill by Davenport, but the host Thunderbirds pulled away using a 7-3 run to earn a commanding 22-17 lead. A 3-0 run by Corban would pull the Warriors within two points (22-20) after a kill by Gowen, but Cascade's match-closing 3-1 run would seal the deal by four points (25-21).

Corban was led by Gowen's team-high 14 kills, while Davenport and Reeher added 11 and 9 kills respectively. Thompson teamed with freshman setter Megan Dees (Tehachapi, Calif.) to hand out a combined 36 assists, as Thompson led the Warrior offense with 21. In the back row, sophomore libero Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.) registered a match-high 19 digs to go along with Davenport's 12-dig performance. At the net, Gowen recorded a team-high four blocks to go along with Davenport's pair of assist stuffs.

Cascade was led by Forgan's match-high 19 kills, while Meagan Stanley and a trio of Thunderbirds added 16 and 4 kills respectively. Carla Crowder handed out a match-high 41 assists for the T-birds, while Kelsey Nickell anchored Cascade's back line with a team-best 15 digs. At the net, Kimberlee DeGroot registered a match-high seven blocks (1 solo, 6 assist) for Cascade.

With the loss, Corban falls to 12-11 overall, including a 10-8 mark in conference play. Meanwhile, Cascade improves to 7-18 overall, 2-16 in CCC action. The Warriors return home on Friday, November 7th, when they host the NAIA's No. 31-ranked Red Raiders of Southern Oregon beginning at 7:00 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.