ORANGE CITY, Iowa – In a grudge match against No. 11 Dordt University, the No. 19-ranked Corban University volleyball team came out with a vengeance on Friday afternoon's opener of the Red Raider Classic. After convincingly sweeping the Defenders (25-16, 25-22, 25-18) in game one of today's action, the Warriors lost a five-set heartbreaker (22-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 15-12) to No. 7 Northwestern to finish day one of the tournament with a split.

"What a great way to start the day, defeating Dordt in straight sets," said head coach Kim McLain. "We continued to battle this evening against Northwestern, showing that we can compete on the road in a tough environment. I am so proud of this team's fight!"

In a stark reversal of the contest yesterday, the Warriors dominated every facet of Friday afternoon's rematch with Dordt. After hitting at a .124 clip through four sets the day prior, Corban attacked at an impressive .277 mark in the tournament opener today.

The Warriors' attacking trio of Cassie Cunningham (14 kills, .609 attack percentage), Sarah Randall (10 kills, .769 attack percentage), and Jacquelyn Clark (seven kills, .500 attack percentage) picked apart the Dordt defense, pacing the Navy and Gold onslaught. They were assisted by Jadyn Mullen and Cierra Leopoldino, who dished out a combined tally of 37 assists on the afternoon.

Game two saw another fierce battle between two NAIA giants, as the Warriors faced off with tournament host Northwestern for the nightcap. The two teams swapped three-point triumphs in the first two sets, with the Navy and Gold edging the hometown Raiders 25-23 in set three. Unable to put the match away, Northwestern evened the scales in game four before eventually edging the Warriors in a back-and-forth fifth set.

Mackenzie Fink and Bekah Horstman were the Raiders' chief contributors, racking up 17 kills (.303 attack percentage) and 14 kills (.524 attack percentage), respectively. In addition to her efficient offensive effort, Horstman also registered six solo blocks at the net.

For the Warriors, Cunningham and Avari Ridgway tied for the team-lead in kills with 16 apiece, while Sarena Bartley added seven of her own in the defeat. Kealani Ontai notched 20 digs to hold down the defensive end.

Overall, the day served as another example of the Warriors' ability to play alongside any team in the country, regardless of venue or potential fatigue.

Corban (2-2) will wrap up its six-game road swing tomorrow with two more contests, closing out the Red Raider Classic with an 11 a.m. (CST) battle with Briar Cliff University and a 3 p.m. (CST) faceoff with Concordia University (Neb.).