ASHLAND, Ore. - The Corban University volleyball team showed grit and determination on Friday evening against the defending conference champion Southern Oregon University Raiders on the road, but despite the quality effort, the Warriors fell in straight sets (25-21, 25-19, 25-21). The No. 16-ranked Raiders remained undefeated on the year, while Corban will have to wait until Saturday evening to once again compete for their first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) win of the 2015 campaign.
Game Photos
"SOU is a strong team, and they played a well-fought game," said head coach Kim McLain. "We came out strong in all three sets and are improving each match we play! I am so proud of how each girl fought tonight!"
In what was a very defensive match which did not see either side attack very well, Corban was ultimately undone by its attack, as the Warriors only hit at a .008 clip overall. Southern Oregon did not hit that much better, registering a .124 mark overall on the night.
Sophomore libero Haley Wells (Albany, Ore.) highlighted Corban's strong defensive efforts with a game-high 25 digs, while sophomore setter Madison McLain (Albany, Ore.) and sophomore outside-hitter Amber Parker (Albany, Ore.) provided seven and six digs, respectively.
Once again serving as the primary setter for the Navy and Gold, McLain totaled 26 assists on the night, while also notching a team-best two aces. Parker racked up 14 kills for Corban to lead the squad, while sophomore outside-hitter Shelby Miller (Lebanon, Ore.) and freshman outside-hitter Victoria Schroeder (Corvallis, Ore.) both registered four kills for the Warriors.
Additionally, junior middle-blocker Hannah Olson (Coos Bay, Ore.) and freshman middle-blocker Kinley Hickok (Anchorage, Alaska) came up with five blocks on the evening between the two.
In a very back-and-forth first set, the Navy and Gold had the deficit cut to just one point at 21-20, but four-straight points from the No. 16 team in the country gave the home squad the first set.
In the second stanza, the Warriors held leads of 5-1, 7-2, and 8-3, but once again SOU showed why it is still undefeated, clawing its way back and eventually taking the lead at 12-11 and never looked back to go up 2-0 in the match.
In the third and final set, Corban once again nabbed the early advantage, but the Raiders came back to take control of the set midway through and pushed on late for the match win.
Southern Oregon has now won 25-straight matches against Corban, and the Raiders (8-0) have now won 21-consecutive sets against the Warriors.
Corban (2-5) returns to action tomorrow evening on the road when it faces Oregon Tech. First serve is set for 5 p.m. Be sure to follow along via live stats and live video!
