SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Corban University volleyball team may not have been ranked higher than 22nd in the coaches' top-25 poll all year long, but on Thursday evening at the NAIA Volleyball Championship Final Site, the Warriors made history with a four-set triumph (27-29, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17) over Morningside College, booking its ticket to bracket play and the round of 16 for the first time in school history.
"I can't say how proud I am of this team and how they bounced back after yesterday's loss," said Corban head coach Kim McLain. "We again came out slow, but began to find their weaknesses and cut down on our errors throughout the rest of the mach. What an honor to be in the sweet sixteen!"
Corban finishes pool play as the No. 2 seed from the pool after Park (Mo.) came from behind to defeat Lourdes (Ohio) in five sets. The No.23-ranked Warriors are now set to take on No. 8-ranked Dordt College (Iowa) on Friday morning at 9 a.m. CST in the Round of 16. Dordt went 3-0 in its bracket and finished as the top seed. All matches now are single elimination with the winner advancing on and the loser seeing their season come to an end.
On the season, Corban is now 11-0 in four-set matches and moves to 25-7 on the campaign overall.
BRACKET/SCHEDULE
Corban led for almost the entirety of set one, but Morningside fought back at the end of the stanza and ultimately claimed the 29-27 triumph to nab the early lead in the match.
In set two, the Warriors did a much better job of keeping the Morningside runs to a minimum, consistently making the key defensive plays when necessary, and it led to the three-point set triumph. Set three was a dominant display by the Warriors, as Corban gained the early lead and did not look back in the 10-point set win.
Knowing it needed just one more set victory to book its ticket to knockout play and the round of 16, the Warriors went on a run midway through the fourth set to take a commanding lead, and ultimately the Warriors finished off the Mustangs to clinch a berth in the final 16.
Amber Parker led all players on the court with 24 kills while hitting for a .356 mark, and both Alaina Gentili and Marandah Boeder had fantastic offensive outputs, combining for 33 kills between the two. Gentili hit for a .552 mark overall while Boeder hit for a .375 clip.
Madison McLain once again kept the offense flowing with 57 assists, while defensively, it was a total team effort with clutch defensive plays all over the court, and it was Haley Wells who totaled a team-best 20 digs. In addition, Lauren Condon racked up 17 digs in the victory.
As a team, Corban hit for a .308 mark while holding Morningside to a .227 clip.
Post-Match Interview with Gentili
Post-Match Inteview with McLain, Parker, and Boeder
Corban's 9 a.m. CST Round of 16 match vs. Dordt College will be streamed on the NAIA Network and will also have live stats.
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