LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 22-ranked Corban University volleyball team competed in its first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament Championship match in 18 years on Saturday, and despite a valiant effort, the Warriors lost in five sets (25-20, 22-25, 26-24, 20-25, 13-15) to No. 7-ranked Eastern Oregon University. Regardless of the tough loss, the Warriors are still headed to the NAIA National Championships for the first time in program history, having already garnered the CCC's second automatic berth.

"I was so proud of the team and how they battled, never giving up and playing with grit," said Corban head coach Kim McLain. "It is very tough to play on the road, and that much harder with a tough opponent! Tonight really showed us what we are made of and that we can compete at nationals!"

From the start, it was obvious that the Warriors came to play, and in the first set, Corban hit for a .226 mark offensively to claim the five-point set triumph. The top-seeded Mountaineers bounced back in set two however to even the match at 1-1.

In set three, Corban rallied when down late in the set to claim the dramatic 26-24 set triumph, taking a two sets to one lead heading into the fourth.

EOU jumped ahead in set four and then finished strong to force a fifth and final set in the championship match. In the fifth set, Corban jumped out to a 6-0 lead and then took a commanding advantage as the two CCC foes traded sides. The Warriors led 12-8 late in the stanza, but EOU rallied, finishing the set on a 7-1 run to claim the CCC Tournament Title.

For Corban, the improvement throughout the year was clearly evident, as after losing to EOU in straight sets both times the two teams met in the CCC regular season, the Warriors forced a five-set thriller against the Mountaineers. Not only was it a five-set match, but Corban was on the brink of capturing it's second-ever CCC Tournament Title.

Marandah Boeder led the way with 18 kills on a .310 hitting percentage for Corban, while Amber Parker added 16 kills and Adriana Aguayo chipped in 13. Madison McLain dished out 60 assists on the evening for the Warriors, while defensively, it was Parker leading the way with 20 digs in addition to Kasey Calderon tallying 13 digs and Haley Wells totaling 12.

For the match, Corban hit for a .289 clip offensively while holding EOU to just a .238 mark overall. EOU had 32 attacking errors and Corban had just 16. Defensively, the Mountaineers came up big late, however, racking up 76 total digs to 67 for Corban.

Amanda Miller led the way for EOU (28-2) with 20 kills, while Makayla Lindburg notched 18.

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