ASHLAND, Ore. – After dropping the initial set in an extra-point affair, the No. 6 Corban University Women's Volleyball team (13-2, 6-1) rebounded nicely against the No. 17 Southern Oregon University Raiders (11-3, 5-2) to take a crucial four-set conference win home to Salem, with final set scores posting at 26-28, 25-23, 25-12, and 25-12.
"Tonight's win came down to a serve and passing game for us," Corban Head Coach Kim McLain explained following the clutch performance from her squad.
"Our passing game initially broke down in the first two sets, which in turn put stress on our offense. The team showed grit and turned things around! Serving was a key factor to finish off the match in the third and fourth sets," McLain elaborated.
Southern Oregon comes into this contest having a mixed week of results thus far, dropping a midweek game to CCC rival Oregon Tech at home in four sets before winning two straight sets against Bushnell after trailing 1-2 in sets, winning the five-set thriller at the Lithia Motors Pavilion last night.
The Warriors began the first set much like they did last night against Oregon Tech, throwing together a six-point run following the opening SOU point to take a 6-1 lead over the Raiders.
Following a Southern Oregon timeout, the Raiders battled to tie this contest up late at 20 points apiece, and the red-hot home team rattled the Warriors just enough to eke out a 28-26 set one win. SOU tallied 11 total blocks in the first set alone, exactly what harbored the Warriors in their only CCC loss earlier this year.
With the momentum clearly in favor of Southern Oregon, the Raiders kept scoring via the defensive threats at the net, jumping out to a 7-3 lead over Corban before McLain called timeout to regroup.
This time however, it would be the Warriors to win the battle of runs, as after Corban managed to take a 20-16 lead, the Raiders scored seven straight points to put McLain and her squad in an extremely difficult position at 23-20 in favor of SOU. The Warriors managed to accomplish exactly what they needed to steal the momentum back in their favor, scoring the next five points to sneak out of set two with a 25-23 win.
Instead of relinquishing the momentum, the Warriors used it to fly through set number three. After taking a 13-8 lead, Corban went on an 8-0 run to take a commanding 21-8 advantage, which the Raiders could do nothing but watch as multiple service aces and kills from sophomore outside hitter Rylee Troutman kept Southern Oregon looking for answers in the 25-12 set win for the Warriors.
With the energy completely sucked out of the Raiders' pavilion, Corban was able to duplicate the success they found in the third set in what would be the fourth and final set, holding SOU to a negative attacking percentage of -.026, and walking out this evening with the four-set victory.
By the numbers, Corban's offense and serving ultimately won them this contest, compiling 10 service aces to the Raiders' three, dealing out 14 more assists than SOU in a 49-35 advantage, and distributed roughly a third more offensive output with 56 total team kills to Southern Oregon's 38.
Corban freshman opposite hitter Makayla Roginski could not be contained tonight by Southern Oregon, as she smashed a game-high 17 kills with only two errors to swing a heavy-hitting .556 attacking percentage. Roginski's 17 kills sets a new career-high for the Gresham, Ore. native, and her hefty hitting percentage is the best she's had with over 20 attacking attempts in a game thus far.
Troutman followed closely behind Roginski with a 15-kill and 11-dig double-double, earning three service aces along the way. Senior outside hitter Avari Ridgway recorded the only other double-double of the evening by any team with 10 kills and 13 digs.
Senior setter Jadyn Mullen recorded her first 30+ assist game of the year with 34 tonight, leading all players in the category by more than double. She also led all student-athletes with five service aces, which is also a season-high.
Another game-high statistic went to senior libero Kealani Ontai, who shook off a rocky start in sets one and two to finish with 22 digs in an amazing rebound effort.
The Raiders were led offensively by outside hitter Hailey Van Well, who smashed a team-high 11 kills and added the team's only three service aces. Middle blocker Carol Melo found the rare double-digit block stat with 10 blocks (two solo, eight assisted) in the first two sets, but fell cold from there to provide the Warriors' offense with the opportunity at the net they needed to find a win after Melo kept them looking for answers in the first two sets.
Southern Oregon's setting duo of Taylor Russell and Hannah Randall recorded all but five of the Raiders' assists with 16 and 14, respectively. Libero Kayla Neidigh held down the backcourt with 16 digs.
The No. 6 Warriors return home this upcoming Friday for a huge conference contest against The Evergreen State College Geoducks (7-4, 6-1) at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Complex, with starting lineups set to be announced at 7pm PDT.
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