LEWISTON, Idaho – While the 2020-21 season has been anything but conventional for the No. 13-ranked Corban University volleyball team, the squad's results in Friday's two matches against Warner Pacific University showed the typical dominance that Warrior fans have become accustomed to seeing from the program.

The Navy and Gold swept all six games it played against the Knights, winning both the first (25-16, 26-24, 25-14) and second matches (25-13, 25-18, 25-7) in straight sets.

"We are excited to finally get our conference season started!" said head coach Kim McLain. "We started the day slow, and at times, we found it difficult to play in rhythm. This afternoon we played more relaxed and worked as a team. We need to continue to focus on the details of the game as we move into tomorrow."

Having little opportunity to practice inside a gymnasium before this weekend's tournament—due to local guidelines related to COVID-19—Corban looked to find its footing early in the crucial Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) matchups. The abbreviated format of the 2021 spring schedule means every contest carries significance, and even with the lack of traditional preparation, the Navy and Gold managed to show glimpses of midseason excellence en route to a pair of triumphs.

At one point trailing 15-13 in game one's first set, Corban went on a 12-1 run to close out a 25-16 set-one victory and capture early momentum in the season opener. The second set was the only close game of the match, when the Warriors outlasted the Knights (26-24) after a gritty back-and-forth affair. The final set was never in doubt, as the Navy and Gold captured a 6-5 advantage in the early stages, and held the lead for the remainder of the stanza.

Avari Ridgway delivered a vintage performance in the victory, as the 2019 All-Conference attacker notched a team-leading 11 kills on an incredible .667 attack percentage. She also led the squad in digs, tallying 10 in the victory.

Making their Warrior debuts, Ally Tow and Cora Furman were also impressive, tallying nine kills apiece. Tow was effective and efficient, successfully converting all but one of her attacks (.900 percentage).

Jadyn Mullen dished out 21 assists in the victory, while Ciarra Judson notched 13 of her own.

The Navy and Gold truly began firing on all cylinders in the afternoon battle; there was never a point in which Corban trailed in the second match of the day.

Attacking at an impressive .388 clip as a team—and holding the Knights to a team attack percentage of just .053—the Warriors saw a number of impressive performances en route to their second straight-set sweep of the day.

Ridgway turned in a similar display as the morning contest, notching a game-high 15 kills on a .565 attacking clip.

Corban's next highest kill tally came from Lanae Wohlmacher, who racked up eight (.583 attack percentage) in a strong performance. Rookie Rylee Troutman registered six kills in the match-two triumph, while also collecting eight digs.

Libero Kealani Ontai spearheaded the defensive efforts, ending the contest with 14 digs.

Judson (13 assists), Mullen (12 assists), and newcomer Raedyn Goudreau (12 assists) shared the setting duties, combining for 37 assists as a trio.

Corban absolutely dominated at the net on Friday, out-blocking the Knights 15-1 between the two matches.

As refreshing as it is to see the Navy and Gold back in action, the squad will have little time to celebrate its long-awaited return. The Warriors (2-0 CCC) will be right back at it tomorrow, this time facing Interstate-5 rival Bushnell University (5-0, 2-0 CCC) in back-to-back matchups.