OLYMPIA, Wash. - Despite dropping the first two sets, the Corban University volleyball team rallied to win a five-set thriller (23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-12) against The Evergreen State College on Friday night in Olympia, Wash. With the victory, the Warriors completed the series sweep over the Geoducks in the 2014 campaign.

In the first stanza, Evergreen swung to a 15-9 lead capped by a kill by junior outside hitter Ivy Eakes. On the next play, senior outside hitter Miah Smith (Albany, Ore.) connected with sophomore setter Haley Meili (Eugene, Ore.) and swung in for a kill of her own to ignite a 7-3 run by Corban to cut the deficit to two (18-16). After the Geoducks stretched their lead back to four (22-18), the Warriors notched three-straight points capped by a service ace by freshman outside hitter Kelly Anderson (Gig Harbor, Wash.). However, Corban could never claim the lead, and at set point (24-23), Eakes swung in for a kill to win the set for Evergreen.

Set two saw the Navy and Gold (7-16, 3-12 CCC) play catch-up, as the Warriors tied Evergreen (14-16, 4-12 CCC) on six different occasions but never managed to claim the advantage. Trailing 22-17, a trio of kills by Corban scratched the deficit down to two, but that's as close as the Warriors would get. At set point (24-21), Evergreen senior middle blocker Brandee Victorino attacked for a kill to give the Geoducks a two-set lead.

No doubt the tightest set of the match, the third stanza saw 14 ties and three lead changes. The two teams went back and forth until Corban crawled to a four-point lead (17-13) after a kill by Smith. After a kill by Evergreen senior opposite hitter Molly King tied the frame at 19 apiece, the Warriors rallied to score six of the final nine points to win the third set.

The fourth set was much like the first, as the two teams traded points in the early going. A service ace by freshman defensive specialist Kasey Calderon (Murrieta, Calif.) tied the set at 15 all, but the Geoducks responded to score the next three points to take an 18-15 lead. However, Corban continued to fight and eventually took the lead (21-20) afer a kill by senior outside hitter Claire Bailey (Santa Rosa, Calif.) After freshman middle blocker Bethany Filipenko (Salem, Ore.) swung in for a kill to give the Warriors a one-point lead (23-22), two Evergreen mishaps delivered the fourth set to the Navy and Gold.

In a thrilling fifth set, the Warriors found themselves down early, 7-5. A kill by freshman middle blocker Sloane Morrison (Edmonds, Wash.) ignited a 6-0 run by Corban to give the Navy and Gold an 11-7 lead. An Evergreen service error lifted Corban to match point (14-12), and then freshman outside hitter Shantelle Hill (Pasco, Wash.) dialed in a kill to grant the Warriors the victory.

"I'm so proud of this team," said head coach Tracy Smith.  "They continue to work hard every day and continue to work together for the Lord."

Three players reached double-figure kills for Corban. Morrison led the way with 15 kills and six errors out of 38 attack attempts, while Smith and Bailey recorded 13 and 12 kills, respectively. In addition, Morrison tallied a season-high five block assists.

Meili notched her fifth double-double of the season with 45 assists and 15 digs. Corban's back row was led by senior libero Katherine Salness (Portland, Ore.) and senior defensive specialist Karisa Legg, as they collected 23 and 14 digs, respectively.

As a team, the Warriors recorded 59 kills and attacked for a 0.176 hitting percentage. Corban also had 77 assists and 52 digs in the winning effort.