FREMONT, Neb. – It was night and day difference between the morning and afternoon sessions for the No. 2-ranked Corban University Volleyball team today in their first opportunities of the Midland Showdown, as the Warriors suffered yet another five-set loss in game one to No. 7-ranked Viterbo University before sweeping the tournament hosts in No. 9-ranked Midland University. These were the first matchups for Corban against Viterbo and Midland in school history, resulting in a day one split between NAIA Top 10 programs.
"Today has pushed us to get better! I love the fight in this team and how they are learning how to battle together!" head coach Kim McLain said earlier this afternoon following their sweep of Midland.
"This morning after being down two sets to none, I was proud of how they fought back, coming up short in the fifth. This afternoon Midland, who is a well-coached team, with an offensive threat at the net kept us on our toes, but we were determined to stop them with our defense both at the net and in the back court. We are excited to get back out there tomorrow to continue our journey and play some more incredible teams," McLain explained.
GAME 1 – #7 Viterbo 3, #2 Corban 2
The opening set between the No. 2 and No. 7 teams in the NAIA was exactly to be expected of the two powerhouse programs, as Viterbo and Corban battled back-and-forth and swapped lead changes multiple times before finding themselves in a 15-all deadlock tie. In the end, the V-Hawks would find themselves on the correct side of the alternating rallies, eking out a 25-23 first set victory over the Warriors.
The theme continued into the second set for both programs, as neither team could build more than a three-point lead at any moment. While the Warriors were able to hold the lead for a majority of the second set, the V-Hawks stormed back late to retake the lead and eventually the set, as Corban couldn't find the momentum to tie up the match and fell to a 2-0 set deficit for the first time this season.
Corban finally secured the largest lead of the contest by either team in the third set, as they built a 14-10 advantage with their backs against the wall in Fremont. Determined not to be swept on the biggest national stage this week, the Warriors fought off multiple Viterbo comeback bids to stretch their lead to as many as five points before eventually taking the third set 25-21.
The energy that the Navy and Gold built during the third set carried into set number four, as the Warriors jumped out to a 12-7 lead and forced the V-Hawks into utilizing both of their timeouts early in the period. Despite a brief run by Viterbo to pull within two points, the Warriors put the gas pedal to the floor to expand the largest lead of the contest to six points and push this match to a decisive fifth set following a 25-18 fourth set victory. Multiple Warriors had come off the bench at this point in the contest to serve in key roles that has led to the reverse sweep scenario against Viterbo, needing just one final set win to secure the come-from-behind victory over a Top 10 program.
Corban pushed their momentum into the first half of the first set to take multiple leads, but Viterbo was able to muscle their way back into an 8-7 lead to force a side swap in the final set between these two teams. Nevertheless, the reverse sweep by the Warriors just wasn't in the gameplan today for Coach McLain and her staff, as Viterbo would go on to take the fifth set 15-12, earning the upset victory and staying perfect on the season.
As a team, Corban struggled from the service line with a 6-10 service error to ace margin and only managed 54 assists to 60 for Viterbo, but somehow managed to out-stat the V-Hawks in every other statistical category. A quick glance at the stat sheet will cause questions as to how the Warriors lost this contest, especially when looking at the .223 attacking percentage and double-digit blocks for the Navy and Gold that were far beyond the Viterbo figures.
Junior outside hitter Rylee Troutman had one of the finest offensive showings of her career thus far with a game-high and season-high 25 kills at the net for Corban, hauling up eight digs in the process. Sophomore opposite hitter Makayla Roginski was extremely consistent in a 13-kill contest with six block assists. Both Troutman and Roginski found their efficiency skyrocket in this match, as they both hit over .300 in attacking percentage to represent most of the Corban offense from the morning session game.
Sophomore setter Abby Guindy recorded her second-straight double-double with 27 assists and 12 digs, while junior libero Marissa Uehara secured a team-high 17 digs in the backcourt. Meanwhile, freshman setter Nadeiah Howard played only three sets but was the top performer at the service line with three aces.
The V-Hawks had a tie atop with offensive ranks with two 18-kill performances from outside hitter Kenzie Winker and opposite hitter Grace Rohde, both of whom earned double-doubles with double-digit digs for the all-around players. Two more Viterbo student-athletes reached double-digit kill counts thanks to the decisions by starting setter Maddie Connor who dished out a game-high 57 dimes. The defensive end of the spectrum was handled by libero Kenidi McCabe and her game-high 23 digs.
GAME 2 – #2 Corban 3, #9 Midland 0
After suffering their second-straight five-set loss, the Warriors were resolute in defining their worth as a team with another Top 10 opponent sitting in their way this afternoon: the No. 9-ranked NAIA school and tourney hosts, Midland University. The Warriors of Midland were the "Corban Warriors" of the GPAC last season, failing to secure a conference championship but advancing all the way to the NAIA semifinals before falling to the eventual national champions, the University of Jamestown.
Midland utilized their home court advantage early to jump out to multiple leads over Corban. However, Coach McLain's Warriors kept their heads down and bent but didn't break, as they were able to flip the script on Midland and earn a well-deserved 25-22 first set victory after committing just two attacking errors the entire set.
Trying to shake off another five-set loss had clearly ignited a fire within the Navy and Gold, as they made even quicker work of the tourney hosts in the second set 25-20 to go up 2-0 in sets won and needing just one more to secure the match win over a Top 10 opponent. The team was attacking at the highest efficiency they've seen thus far this season, as eight different Warriors with attacks were averaging kill percentage of over .300 in two sets played.
The third set was the most tested that Corban had been to this point in the contest, as Midland jumped out to a five-point lead early and forced Coach McLain into utilizing one of her two timeouts. Nonetheless, the visiting Warriors battled back to tie the contest at 13-13 and stretch their own lead to 20-16 and forced both host Warriors' timeouts in the process.
With Midland desperate and up against the wall, Corban knew they could force more mistakes down the stretch of the third set, allowing them to lockdown an impressive 25-20 set win and secure the sweep over the tournament hosts in surprising fashion.
The efficiency at the net is what provided the Navy and Gold with the three-set sweep of Midland, as the team smashed a .270 kill percentage with only sixteen errors on the afternoon. Meanwhile, they held Midland to a lowly .103 attacking percentage on their own home court while leading in every statistical category, including a 10-5 blocking margin of victory.
Troutman carried on with her dominance over the NAIA with a game-high 15 kills and six digs, while Guindy led all setters with 20 assists. Freshman middle blocker Emma Bischoff completed the best game of her young collegiate career by hitting a flawless kill percentage of .600 with six kills and no errors, alongside a career-high 8.0 block assists to dominate Midland at the net.
The host Warriors were led offensively by middle blocker Lauryn Samuelson and her eight kills, with four other Midland student-athletes garnering at least five kills. Setters Brielle Power and Brena Mackling combined for 32 dimes, while libero Delanie Vallinch pulled in a team-high six digs defensively.
Another NAIA Top 10 team awaits tomorrow for the Warriors, as they'll battle No. 8-ranked Missouri Baptist University at 7:30am PT before their final match of the Midland Showdown against Grand View University at 12:30pm PT.
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