KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Corban University Volleyball team nabbed a two-set lead on Saturday evening on the road at Oregon Tech in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action, but the Owls stormed back and ultimately won the third and fourth sets before stealing a dramatic fifth set for the match victory (22-25, 17-25, 25-15, 25-14, 19-17). Despite the five-set heartbreaking defeat, the Warriors still pulled many positives from the match as a whole.
Game Photos
"I am so proud of these girls and how much they have grown and how hard they fought tonight," said head coach Kim McLain. "Once again, we came out strong, but OIT just capitalized on our mistakes and we could not finish the match."
The Warriors will look back at the match knowing that while despite playing well, it was a match that Corban had its opportunities to win. Even after dropping the third and fourth sets and giving all of the momentum back to the Owls heading into the fifth and final game, Corban built its lead to 14-11 and gave itself three-match points in a row. Unfortunately, Corban was unable to close the door, seeing Oregon Tech bring the match level at 14-14.
The Navy and Gold took the lead twice more and had match points, but the resilient Owls once again fought back, stealing the victory from the grasps of Corban's hands, ultimately winning that final set 19-17.
"Tough games like this are only making us better to prepare for the end of the season," said McLain.
In the first two sets of the evening, the Warriors were on fire, blasting the Owls (7-1, 2-0 CCC) left and right. After totaling 12 kills in the first stanza, Corban racked up 14 more kills in the second set, accumulating a .275 hitting percentage.
The Warriors cooled off in the third and fourth sets, but in that fifth stanza, Corban hit for a .310 percentage and registered 11 kills in the heartbreaker.
On the evening, sophomore outside-hitter Amber Parker (Alban, Ore.) totaled a game-high 18 kills, while freshman outside-hitter Victoria Schroeder (Corvallis, Ore.) notched 12. Also adding to the attack was junior middle-blocker Hannah Olson (Coos Bay, Ore.), as she registered a career-best 10 kills.
Sophomore outside-hitter Shelby Miller (Lebanon, Ore.) recorded four blocks on the night, while freshman setter Madison McLain (Albany, Ore.) registered 43 assists in the defeat. Defensively, three players contributed big numbers, as it was sophomore libero Haley Wells (Albany, Ore.) totaling 33 digs, freshman defensive-specialist McKenzie Kolomyjec (Puyallup, Wash.) notching 14 digs, and sophomore defensive-specialist Kasey Calderon (Murrieta, Calif.) recording 12 digs.
Corban (2-6, 0-2 CCC) returns to action on Friday, September 11, when it hosts No. 6 Eastern Oregon University at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center. First serve for Corban's home-opener is set for 7 p.m. Be sure to follow the action via live stats and the live video broadcast if unable to attend the match live.
