LA GRANDE, Ore. – It's extremely difficult to beat the same team three times in a single season, yet the No. 7-ranked Corban University Volleyball team fell victim to having their Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament championship bout held deep in enemy territory, where the regular season champion and No. 3-ranked Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers repeated as conference champions in four sets tonight at Quinn Coliseum, 25-17, 25-21, 18-25, and 25-20.
"I am proud of this team and how they are battling and getting better each day," Corban head coach Kim McLain shared shortly after their third-consecutive conference championship match. "They faced the number three team in the nation and took them to four sets on their own home court. I look forward to getting back in the gym and preparing for the national tournament!"
The Mountaineers (30-1) clearly weren't fazed by their five-set marathon the night before against conference rival College of Idaho, as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set and immediately put the Warriors (26-6) into a timeout situation. The energy didn't stop there for the host seed, as they were able to secure a 25-17 opening score with 90% of the fans in attendance cheering them on.
While the Warriors were able to hit the 20-point mark for the first time in the second set, early mistakes added up on the scoreboard and made it impossible for them to find any momentum in a 25-21 set loss, where the Mounties tallied 18 kills on a .382 kill percentage while holding the Navy and Gold to under .200 for the second-straight set.
Rather than throwing in the towel and calling it quits, the Warriors dug deep and showed exactly what they can do against nationally ranked opponents in third set, as they exploded out of the set break and forced both of EOU's timeouts within a matter of minutes. Their massive lead stood through a miniature Mountaineer run as the set neared its end, forcing a fourth set with a 25-18 victory.
Despite the rowdy and rampant Eastern Oregon crowd, where the match officials had to step in multiple times to issue warnings before asking individuals to exit the premises, Corban was able to keep things interesting throughout the fourth set before the hometown team found their stride once again. The Mounties clinched the four-set match following an ambitious Warrior comeback bid that feel just short of the mark.
Two-time CCC Player of the Year junior outside hitter Rylee Troutman continued her dominance through the conference with another 15 kills tonight against EOU, adding two block assists at the net. Sophomore opposite Makayla Roginski and freshman middle blocker Emma Bischoff each tallied seven kills in the Warriors' efforts.
Junior setter Courtney Garwood and sophomore setter Abby Guindy spread out 37 combined assists and 15 digs, with Garwood adding a service ace to her match totals. Middle blockers Jadah Schmidtke and Allyson Reid added five and four block assists, respectively, while junior libero Marissa Uehara registered a team-high 13 digs.
Mountaineers' outside hitters Ashton Haughton and Keira Vaughn combined for 31 kills to lead their team to victory tonight. Outside hitter Sade Williams accounted for an 11-kill and 13-dig double-double, while setter Hannah Ledgerwood secured the only other double-double of the evening with 33 assists and ten digs. Defensively for EOU, libero Hailey Arritola dug up a game high 17 balls to propel her team to another conference title.
Having earned the second automatic bid from the CCC for the upcoming national tournament, the Warriors will now await for the NAIA Selection Show with anticipation, set for this upcoming Monday at 12pm PT to see who they will more than likely be hosting in the NAIA Opening Round on November 18th.
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