ASHLAND, Ore. – After a thrilling five-set marathon of a victory yesterday, the No. 5-ranked Corban University volleyball team took swift care of business in Saturday evening's matchup with Southern Oregon University, capping off a crucial undefeated weekend on the road with a straight-set victory over the Raiders (25-13, 25-21, 25-22). It's the first time that the Navy and Gold has ever won in three sets against SOU in Ashland.

"We did much better tonight cutting down on our enforced errors and executing our game plan," said head coach Kim McLain. "Southern Oregon is a well-coached team that can be very dangerous; it is great to come out with the win!"

The Raiders entered tonight's match with momentum, coming off a straight-set victory over third-place Bushnell University on the previous night.

Corban quickly quieted the home crowd, however, opening the match on an 11-2 run and cruising to a 12-point triumph in the match's first set.

In contrast, the second set was a back-and-forth battle, at one point knotted up at 20 points apiece. The Warriors closed the stanza on a 5-1 run to push the hometown team's back against the wall.

Though the Raiders got out to a quick 6-1 start in the third set, they would be unable to force a fourth game, as Corban overcame the early deficit and edged the Raiders in a closely contested third game.

As a team, the Warriors attacked at an impressive .311 clip, marking the 12^th time this season that the squad has hit at a .300 percentage or above.

Avari Ridgway (14 kills, .353 attack percentage) and Rylee Troutman (10 kills, .318 attack percentage) were a big part of Corban's offensive success on Saturday, turning in the type of stellar performances that Warrior fans have become accustomed to seeing from one of the premier attacking duos in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC).

Meanwhile, Ainslie Ridgway continues to show herself more than capable of attacking at an elite level in her own right, notching nine kills on 16 swings, without recording an error (.563 attack percentage).

Troutman's 13 digs led the squad defensively, while Kealani Ontai added nine and Jadyn Mullen registered eight.

The Warriors' two-setter tandem—comprised of Ciarra Judson (20 assists) and Mullen (19 assists)—combined for 39 assists in the victory.

Corban has now matched its program record for CCC wins in a season (17), and one more victory would set a new team record for conference triumphs.

With two weekends left, Corban (23-1, 17-1 CCC) sits in first place in the CCC standings, leading second-place Eastern Oregon by a game. The Warriors will return home next weekend for matchups with The Evergreen State College (October 29) and Northwest University (October 30), with Saturday's clash with the Eagles also serving as Senior Night for the Navy and Gold.