BOX SCORE
LA GRANDE, Ore. – In its next-to-last match of the season, Corban's women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to the NAIA's No. 24-ranked Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon, 3-0 (14-25, 11-25, 6-25), Friday inside Quinn Coliseum.
Corban (7-21, 3-14 CCC) was led by five different players – senior
Jenny Harman, senior
Olivia Shropshire, junior
Claire Bailey, junior
Miah Smith, and freshman
Madison Purnell – with three kills each, while freshman
Haley Meili handed out a team-high nine assists to go along with a six-dig effort by Shropshire. Bailey and Purnell registered the only blocks for the Warriors, as each player tallied one against the Mountaineers.
Eastern Oregon (24-5, 14-3 CCC) was led offensively by Casey Loper with a match-high 13 kills, each Kayla Randles and Stefani Sorensen added nine and eight kills, respectively. Karly Stack handed out a match-high 34 assists for the Mountaineers, while Jessalyn Smith anchored EOU's defense with a match-high 15 digs to go along with a match-high three blocks by Loper.
The opening set would see Eastern Oregon break a 3-3 tie with a 4-0 run that included a pair of service aces by Katie Keeney. Corban would climb back within two points (9-7) on a kill by Purnell before EOU pushed its lead to 10 points (19-9) with a 10-2 run that concluded on a kill by Randles. The visiting Warriors would get as close as eight points (22-14) before Eastern Oregon scored the final three points on kills by Emma Richard and Stack that bookended a service ace by Smith for the 25-14 victory.
Set #2 saw Eastern Oregon quickly build a seven-point lead (8-1) before the host Mountaineers extended their lead to 10 points (15-5). Corban would pull within nine points (16-7) on a kill by freshman
Payton Wilcox before Eastern Oregon used a 5-0 run to extend its lead to 14 points (21-7) on a kill by Randles. A 4-3 run by Corban pulled the Warriors within 13 points (24-11) on a kill by Harman before EOU closed out the set on a kill by Taylor Stewart for the 25-11 victory.
In the third and final set, Eastern Oregon opened with a 7-1 run that concluded on a combo block by Kasaundra Tuma and Keeney. Corban would get within five points (9-4) on another Harman kill before Eastern Oregon scored five unanswered points to pull ahead by 10 points (14-4). The host Mountaineers would increase their lead to 13 points (18-5) before Corban scored its final point on an EOU service error to pull within 12 points (18-6). After a serving miscue by the Mountaineers, Eastern Oregon used a set and match-closing 7-0 run to secure the 25-6 victory and three-set sweep.
Corban will close out its season tomorrow – Saturday, November 9th – against the NAIA's No. 23-ranked and CCC regular season champions The College of Idaho beginning at 7:00 p.m. (MST) in Caldwell, Idaho.
