LEWISTON, Idaho – Nothing short of possible Game of the Year accolades was exhibited at the P1FCU Activities Center on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College this evening, as the No. 5 Corban University Women's Volleyball team (17-2, 10-1) avoided an upset at the hands of LC State (10-6, 6-5) by squeezing out a five-set victory, with final set scores posting at 23-25, 29-27, 25-22, 18-25, and 17-15.
"What a battle! LC State's offense was fast an aggressive, and they came ready to play tonight," Corban Head Coach Kim McLain shared earlier tonight following her team's gutsy performance.
"We knew we had to serve tough in order to keep them out of system. This match came down to the fight and grit of our defense, and owning a 'never give up' attitude," McLain elaborated.
Everyone present on Lewis-Clark State's campus and watching online certainly got their money's worth in this Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Battle of the Warriors, with the mascot-sharing schools going the distance in an instant CCC classic. Two of the five sets went into extra points, as both team's were willing to bend, but neither fully break in the face of adversity.
After jumping out to a 20-16 lead in the first set, a perfectly executed timeout from LC State's head coach Shaun Pohlman allowed the hometown Warriors to go on a 7-0 run, and forcing McLain to call both of her attempts to break up the streak. Despite back-to-back timeouts to force a 22-23 deficit, Lewis-Clark was able to score two of the next three points to eke out the 25-23 set one win.
The second set alone could qualify as a marathon for both squads, as each clan of Warriors went point-for-point the entirety of the period. Both teams managed to execute four-point runs, but an 18-15 lead by Corban was the largest lead in the set, until LC State managed to overcome a 21-24 set score to knot everything up at 24 all.
After exchanging service errors and kills, the visiting Warriors managed to rally for the back-to-back points they needed on a kill from senior opposite hitter Ally Schmidt, followed by an assisted block from Schmidt and senior outside hitter Avari Ridgway for a 29-27 set victory.
The third set of tonight's longwinded match went fairly similar to the previous set, with neither team able to gain more than a three-point lead. That is, until Corban scored on three-straight points to take a 19-15 lead, only for the home Warriors to march right back with three points of their own. The traveling Warriors managed to take the set and match lead by scoring five of the last eight points, 25-22.
Lewis-Clark refused to go down without a fight, as the home team took a commanding 17-10 lead in the fourth set, and even a three-point run by Corban late in the set couldn't prevent a fifth set to be played tonight in Lewiston.
After nabbing an 8-3 set lead in the fifth and final set, the visiting Warriors seemed to have all the momentum needed to easily take the match, but a 9-4 run by LC State made it a 12-12 score and put everyone in the P1FCU Activities Center on their feet.
Following a timeout from McLain, each Warrior squad rattled off point-for-point opportunities to make it 15-all, but an attacking error on Lewis-Clark and a kill from sophomore middle blocker Allyson Reid sealed the deal for Corban and denied the hometown fans their upset bid.
Looking at the scoresheet, it's a miracle that Corban was able to leave Lewiston with a win tonight, as the statistics favored LC State in nearly every aspect of the game. The only advantage Corban held as a team was in assists (62-61) and digs (69-62).
The visiting Warriors did hold multiple individual advantages though, as Ridgway led all players with 19 kills, and tied the game-high with 15 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Rylee Troutman followed up with a 17-kill and 14-dig performance for yet another double-double on the season. Six different Corban student-athletes earned at least six kills tonight, showing the depth this Warrior lineup has in drawn-out games.
Senior setter Jadyn Mullen once again led all players in the assist department, dealing out 30 dimes for the game-high. Freshman setter Abby Guindy provided excellent support in the secondary rotation for the No. 5 Warriors, setting a new career-high with 24 assists this evening.
Lewis-Clark State was led by outside hitter Grecia Ung Enriquez, who smashed 18 kills with four digs and a pair of blocks. Three more hometown Warriors managed 12+ kills in tonight's contest, with the most impressive stat line coming from middle blocker Jada Wyms, who recorded 12 kills with only three errors and six blocks to lead all players defensively at the net.
The No. 5 Warriors return to the hardwood for a pair of key conference road matchups, as they will battle the College of Idaho Yotes on Friday, October 7th at 7pm MT, before an incredibly important rematch with the No. 1 Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers in La Grande, Oregon on Saturday evening.
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