SALEM, Ore. – Senior Rachel Gowen (Oregon City, Ore.) registered a season and match-high 16 kills to go along with another Warrior duo that recorded eight kills each, as Corban's women's volleyball team swept the Knights of Warner Pacific, 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-17), Saturday night inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
Despite the conference season still being early, tonight's win was huge for Corban as the Warriors continue to have a strong hold the sixth and final conference post-season tournament playoff spot thanks to a two-match lead over Warner Pacific and a three-match lead over the Eagles of Northwest University.
In the opening set, Corban used the serving arm of senior Chelsea Reeher (Powell Butte, Ore.) and quickly grabbed a 5-0 lead. The Warriors then built their lead to six points (7-1) before Warner Pacific began a comeback via a 14-8 run to tie the set at 15-all. Both teams then traded three-point runs before using a 7-0 run to close out the opening set (25-18), as Reeher and freshman Tiffany Land (Independence, Ore.) highlighted the run with a pair of kills each.
In the middle set, Corban used the serving arm of sophomore Heather Anderson (Corbett, Ore.) to grab another 5-0 lead. With the Warriors up 6-1, Warner Pacific used a 9-3 run to grab a slim one-point advantage (10-9). Corban then used a 3-0 run to take a 12-10 lead before pushing its lead to as much as six points (18-12) via a 6-2 run that saw a pair of kills by Land. Warner Pacific would not get any closer than five points (19-14) following a Corban service error, as the Warriors closed out the second set by nine points (25-16) and took a two-set lead into the break.
In the third and final set, Corban once again used the serving arm of Reeher en route to building its largest lead to open a set thanks to an 8-0 run. During the run, Gowen registered three kills and Reeher recorded the team's lone service ace of the night. Another three kills by Gowen helped the Warriors' lead grow to nine points (11-2) before the visiting Knights attempted a comeback pulling within five points (15-10) via an 8-4 run. Corban would continue pushing its lead, as the Warriors grabbed a nine-point advantage (24-15) following a kill by senior Rashelle Davenport (Kalama, Wash.) before closing out the final set by eight points (25-17) thanks to Gowen's 16th and final kill of the night.
Along with Gowen, Davenport and Land registered eight kills each to go along with Reeher's four and freshman Megan Dees' (Tehachapi, Calif.) two. Dees and junior Amy Thompson (Oregon City, Ore.) ran an efficient Warrior offense, as the first-year player from California handed out a team-high 17 assists compared to Thompson's 15. Sophomore libero Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.) anchored Corban's back line with a match-high tying 16 digs, while junior Andrea Potloff (Aumsville, Ore.) added 15 and Davenport registered eight digs. Gowen controlled the Warriors' net defensively with a match-high five blocks (2 solo, 3 assist), while four other Warriors registered a block each.
Warner Pacific was led by Kara Veach's team-high 10 kills, while former North Salem graduate Leah Gradwohl added nine kills. Samantha Kolakowski handed out a match-high 22 assists for the Knights, while Veach anchored Warner Pacific's back line with a match-high tying 16 digs.
With the win, Corban improves to 7-6 overall, including 5-3 in conference play. Meanwhile, Warner Pacific drops to 5-5 overall, 3-5 in conference action. The Warriors return to action on Friday, October 3rd, when they travel east to La Grande for a match-up with the nationally-ranked Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon beginning at 7:00 p.m. inside the Quinn Coliseum.
