CALDWELL, Idaho – For the second-straight match, the No. 6-ranked Corban University Volleyball team was tested to the fullest extent a collegiate volleyball match can stretch to on the road in enemy territory, as the Warriors were able to gut out a five-set victory over The College of Idaho to keep themselves in contention for a Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Regular Season Championship. Corban was able to clutch the match with 11-25, 25-15, 25-21, 21-25, and 15-12 set scores in an anxiety driven contest.
"We came out flat and not ready to play!" Warriors' head coach Kim McLain exclaimed following their near upset on the road. "C of I is a dangerous team, and we were not focused for the battle ahead. It was our blocking at the net as well as tough serving that made the difference and turned things around. I am so proud of the team and how they came together and had a relentless pursuit, never giving up and finishing the match strong!"
The Warriors (24-3, 18-1) clearly didn't get the proper heads up they needed in warmups to prepare for the Yotes (15-12, 13-6) in the opening set, as the College of Idaho absolutely obliterated the ball to take a decisive 25-11 first set victory on their home court, one of the lowest set totals by Corban the entire season.
However, both the offense and defense came alive in the second and third sets for the Navy and Gold, securing 25-15 and 25-21 set scores to flip the script on the Yotes and turn a 1-0 set deficit in to a 2-1 lead. An exact opposite performance in the second set allowed Corban to regain their footing both in the front and back courts, leading to the exact reaction Coach McLain was looking from her team after a forgettable first set of play.
The blocking was a point of emphasis for the Warriors as they rallied to take the third set after trailing 19-14, as redshirt sophomore middle blocker Jadah Schmidtke was up to seven block assists through three sets of play and heavily influencing the swings that the College of Idaho was attempting to hammer down.
Despite a revitalized Corban team, the Yotes were able to force a fifth set behind clutch attacking at the net and digging up sure kills by the Warriors, winning set number four 25-21 to send the Navy and Gold to a fifth set for the second-consecutive match and fifth time this season.
With the momentum swinging from sideline-to-sideline over the entire evening, the Warriors were able to find the winning combination in what went from a runaway fifth set to a nailbiter in the end, as a four-point lead quickly dwindled to a 10-9 deficit and left Coach McLain in a timeout situation with their opportunities quickly fleeting.
Instead of getting crafty and trying something new, Coach McLain left it in the hands of her experienced veterans to settle down the pace of play and only allow their style of volleyball to be executed, resulting in their 6-3 run to the end the match and send the team to their ninth-straight victory.
For the sixth occasion in as many matches, junior outside hitter Rylee Troutman reached the 15-mark and then some in tonight's match, adding 24 more to her season totals in yet another dominant season for the Powell Butte native. She completed the all-around evening with nine digs and three block assists. Freshman middle blocker Emma Bischoff tied her career-high in kills for the fourth time this season with 11 against the Yotes today.
Freshman setter Nadeiah Howard was all over the court tonight for Corban, dealing out 16 assists and digging up 15 balls in the backcourt for her fourth double-double of the season and setting a new career-high in digs. Sophomore setter Abby Guindy had the game-high mark in dimes with 22, adding 11 digs for seventh double-double and her fourth in the last six matches.
Defensively for the Warriors, junior libero Marissa Uehara has come alive at the perfect time as the season begins to enter the late-game phase, hitting a new career-high in digs with 22 this evening and dishing out seven assists in her emergency setter role. Meanwhile at the net, Schmidtke has been essential to Corban's most recent winning streak, compiling nine block assists and adding a solo block tonight in her five sets of action.
Yotes' middle blocker Jade Warren was the home team's best option all night long at the net, as she pummeled 13 kills and added three block assists and two solo stuffs. Outside hitter Haley McUne had the only double-double of the evening for C of I with ten kills and 14 digs, while setters Savannah Hutchins and Analise Hitchcock shared the spotlight with 18 and 17 assists, respectively. Libero Clair Hodge hauled in a game-high 26 digs in the Yotes' efforts.
An intense rematch is in store for Warrior Nation tomorrow night in La Grande, as another NAIA Top 10 matchup between the Navy and Gold and No. 3-ranked Eastern Oregon University (25-1, 18-1) could very well decide the CCC Regular Season Champions, with the start time set for 6pm PT.
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