SALEM, Ore. – In the final weekend of conference contests, the No. 3 Corban University Women's Volleyball team (26-3, 19-2) kicked off their Senior Weekend on a high note, sweeping the visiting Warriors of Lewis-Clark State College (16-10, 12-9) in straight sets, 26-24, 25-18, and 25-21.
"LC State runs a fact paced offense and is aggressive at the net," Corban Head Coach Kim McLain said earlier this evening. "We k new we had to be defensively minded tonight as well as serve them tough to keep them out of system. I'm proud of how we worked together as a unit, staying focused throughout the match!"
Determined to avenge their 18-game win streak snapping loss last weekend at Evergreen State, the hometown Warriors came out with a slightly different starting lineup due to some key scratches tonight, but the Senior Weekend senior student-athletes stole the show anyways.
LC State proved their worthiness of a CCC Playoff spot earlier this season, taking Corban to five-sets on their own home court in near upset fashion. The visiting Warriors played much of the same hardball mentality as they did in their previous matchup with the Navy and Gold, with many of the same student-athletes finding success at the net and in the backcourt as their previous matchup provided.
Both squads of Warriors couldn't gain more than a two-point advantage throughout the first set, with neither side willing to give up the early momentum that could prove detrimental to the matches' outcome. Three-straight points in the middle of the set from LC State was the most points in a row up to that score, before Corban was able to rattle off five-straight points and take a 23-19 lead.
The road Warriors managed to force extra-points by scoring five of the next six points, but a service error on Lewis-Clark and a clutch service ace from sophomore defensive specialist Marissa Uehara gave Corban the 26-24 set one victory.
Now in firm control of the pace of play for the game, Corban was able to start set number two on a 9-3 run, forcing an LC State timeout just 10 points into the set. Every time LCSC was able to pull within reach, the Navy and Gold were able to stretch that lead back out to five-plus points, and eventually took the set 25-18.
Not willing to go down without a fight, Lewis-Clark jumped out to a 6-2 lead to open the third set, pushing McLain and her Warriors into unfamiliar territory this evening. LC State was able to stretch that lead all the way to a 10-5 margin before an onslaught of LCSC attacking errors resulted in six-straight points for Corban, flipping the script on a wild back-and-forth set.
Like a swinging pendulum, the visiting Warriors took the lead once again with six of eight points falling in their favor, nabbing a 19-16 lead before McLain utilized her final timeout of the set. After Corban battled back to tie the game at 20-all, LC State would score their final kill and point of the match from opposite hitter Lisi Langi. Following Langi's point, Corban outside hitters Avari Ridgway and Kylie Davey would each tally a kill, while Uehara scored her second and third service aces of the game to force match point, which they got the very next play on an attacking error from LCSC.
For the first time this season, Corban did not allow a single service ace to their opponent, placing five service aces themselves to win at the service line. LC State provided exceptional competition in every other category, even leading in blocks 7-6 and trailing in kills and assists by just single digits.
The Navy and Gold were led by senior Ridgway's season-high 21 kills at the net, scoring on nearly a third of her attempts to provide Corban with a much-needed boost offensively. Sophomore outside hitter Rylee Troutman took a backseat to her usual offensive threat to secure a game-high 17 digs in the backcourt, making it two-straight contest with at least 17 digs for the Powell Butte native.
Senior setter Jadyn Mullen tacked on 19 assists to lead all student-athletes tonight, obtaining 10 digs for her ninth double-double on the season. Three service aces sets a new career-high single game record for Uehara, who has more than earned her repetitions in the backcourt for this extremely deep lineup.
Lewis-Clark State saw consistent offense from two individuals in particular tonight, outside hitter Grecia Ung Enriquez and middle blocker Jada Wyms, who recorded 13 and five kills behind .237 and .500 attacking percentages, respectively.
Libero Kenzie Dean recorded a team-high 14 digs for the traveling Warriors, while setters Jennah Carpenter and Esther Kailiponi each split court time to provide 13 and 10 assists in their offense.
The hometown Warriors will return to Tim Hills Court one final time this 2022 conference season tomorrow night, as Corban will host Walla Walla University (1-20, 1-20) with their Senior Night festivities scheduled to start 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the contest, which is scheduled for 8pm PDT.
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