PORTLAND, Ore. - In an evenly played Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) match, the Corban University volleyball team fell victim to a five-set heartbreaker (25-15, 22-25, 25-27, 25-18, 15-13) to Warner Pacific College on Saturday night in Portland, Ore.

In the first stanza, Corban (5-13, 2-9 CCC) rose to a 3-2 lead after senior outside hitter Claire Bailey (Santa Rosa, Calif.) rose for her first kill of the night. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that would be their only lead of the first set, as the Knights responded with a 7-4 run to take a two-point advantage. A kill by freshman outside hitter Shantelle Hill (Pasco, Wash.) tied the frame at nine apiece, but the Navy and Gold never got any closer. Warner Pacific went on to take the set, 25-15.

The second frame saw a much different Warrior team. After Warner Pacific (5-11, 3-8 CCC) jumped to a 14-9 lead, Corban got to work. A kill by freshman middle blocker Bethany Filipenko (Salem, Ore.) ignited an 11-3 Warrior run to claim a 20-17 lead. Senior opposite hitter Miah Smith (Albany, Ore.) connected with sophomore setter Haley Meili (Eugene, Ore.) and attacked for a kill to give Corban a 23-21 lead, and two Knight attack errors granted the Warriors the second set, 25-22.

The third set saw Corban fall behind early (5-1) after a pair of service aces from Warner Pacific senior defensive specialist Kelsey Merritt. But the Warriors began to chip away, eventually tying the set at 10 apiece after Smith swung in for another kill. Hill tied the stanza at 18 after receiving a pass from Meili, but Warner Pacific again managed to take the lead. Trailing 24-22, Corban's engine retrieved a spark after Bailey swung in for a kill and the Knights committed an attack error. After Warner Pacific attacked for a kill, Hill tied the set at 25 apiece. Two Knight attack errors captivated the third set for Corban.

In the fourth set, the Navy and Gold couldn't render any offense and dug itself an early 14-2 hole. Thirteen of Corban's 18 fourth-set points were the result of Warner Pacific miscues. A kill by Filipenko cut the deficit to eight (17-9), but the Knights again managed to push the lead to double digits. Following a Knight service error and a pair of kills by Bailey and Filipenko, the Warriors found themselves only down seven (21-14). A kill by Bailey and a pair of errors by Warner Pacific brought Corban to within four (21-17), but the Warriors never got any closer.

In a decisive fifth set, Corban struck first, as Smith received a pass from Meili and rose high for a kill. After the Knights reclaimed the advantage, 2-1, Bailey and Smith swung in for kills to put the Warriors back on top. After Hill swung in for a kill to put Corban up by three (9-6), Warner Pacific went on to score the next three points, forcing the Warriors to call a timeout. With the set tied at 10 apiece, Corban scored three of the next four points thanks to kills by Bailey, Smith, and freshman middle blocker Sloane Morrison (Edmonds, Wash.) However, Warner Pacific rallied to score the final four points of the match, and Corban lost the fifth set, 15-13.

The Warriors were led by Bailey's team-high 14 kills. Smith and Hill also reached double figures with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Hill also had 11 digs, which clinched her sixth double-double of the season. Senior libero Katherine Salness (Portland, Ore.) tallied 14 digs, while Meili collected 44 assists, her second-best effort of the season.

As a team, Corban attacked for a 52 kills and a 0.189 hitting percentage. The Warriors also recorded 52 digs and 48 assists in the match.

The Navy and Gold returns to Salem for its next match on Oct. 17 against Southern Oregon University at 7 p.m.