SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University volleyball team won its third-consecutive Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) match on Saturday evening, defeating Walla Walla University in straight sets in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center (25-11, 25-23, 25-13). For the Warriors, they have now matched their CCC win totals from each of the last two years with three CCC triumphs.
"We came out ready to play tonight," said head coach Kim McLain. "It was great to get another three-set win! We struggled in set two, but I was proud of the way we fought back to regain the lead and take the set. Again, we have much to work on, yet the girls continue to show improvement each week."
The Navy and Gold got off to a quick start in set one, nabbing an 11-2 lead after a kill from junior middle-blocker Hannah Olson (Coos Bay, Ore.). The Wolves fought back and scored a few points intermittingly throughout the set, but the Warriors finished Walla Walla off easily and won the first stanza by 14 points. Corban was paced by a .393 hitting percentage in the set-one win.
In set two, it was the complete opposite, as Walla Walla raced out to a 14-8 lead and then an advantage of 20-13. Then Corban freshman setter Madison McLain (Albany, Ore.) got the ball in her hands to serve, and the Warriors went on a ferocious 12-3 run to close out the set and go up two sets to none heading into the intermission.
In the final stanza, Corban was back on the front foot, attacking at will and registered a comfortable 25-13 triumph. For the Navy and Gold, freshman outside-hitter Victoria Schroeder (Corvallis, Ore.) played very well, registering a .333 attack percentage with 11 kills on the evening. Sophomore outside-hitter Amber Parker (Albany, Ore.) added 11 kills as well, while Olson registered seven. McLain once again served as the Warrior setter, racking up 31 assists on the evening, while a total-team effort helped Corban defensively with sophomore libero Haley Wells (Albany, Ore.) notching a game-high 14 digs.
Following the match, McLain talked about the win in a post-game interview:
For Walla Walla (6-6 2-4 CCC), Lexi Shanko notched a team-best five kills, while Alissa Casey registered nine assists.
Corban (5-7, 3-3 CCC) takes to the road next week when it faces The Evergreen State College and Northwest University on Friday and Saturday.
