KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – A five-set thriller on Danny Miles Court was in store for the No. 4-ranked Corban University Volleyball team earlier tonight against Oregon Tech, jumping out to a 2-0 set lead before the Owls stormed back and forced a fifth set the Warriors clinched 15-8 to avoid their first conference loss of the year.
"We came in focused, ready to play with a strong mindset in the first two sets, making our presence known at the net both defensively and offensively," Corban head coach Kim McLain shared. "Our serving and passing broke down in the third and fourth sets, which allowed OIT to find our weaknesses and take advantage of us. I was proud how we turned things around in the fifth, working together to come out with the win."
Oregon Tech (6-9, 4-4) came to play against the No. 4-ranked Warriors (14-2, 8-0) to open the contest, keeping pace and within two-points to a 15-13 score in favor of Corban. However, a 4-1 run by the Warriors comprised of a service ace by junior libero Marissa Uehara and multiple kills was enough for Owls' head coach Alexis Garrison to call timeout to try stopping momentum.
The stoppage wasn't enough to slow down Corban, as the Warriors scored the next three points and only allowed one more to OIT in a 25-15 dominant set victory where the visiting team swatted back five total blocks at the net.
Serve-receive continued to be a thorn in the Warriors' side into the second set, committing multiple errors at the line and struggling to set up their offense when being served against. Despite their struggles at the service line, the Navy and Gold couldn't be stopped at the net, crushing over .400 in the kill percentage department while their front line kept the Owls on their toes defensively.
Utilizing both of their team timeouts wasn't enough for Oregon Tech to slow Corban down in the second set, ended on an exclamation point junior outside hitter Rylee Troutman's first service ace of the match. OIT was nearly in the negative for kill percentage through two sets due to the Warriors' blocking brigade, while Corban was still smashing above .300 for the entire game.
The third set finally saw the Warriors slip up, as the errors turned from occasional to frequent and gave the Hustlin' Owl fans something to get loud about. With the kill percentage quickly dipping for Corban, Oregon Tech found themselves with a healthy four-point lead deep into the period, leading 20-16 and forcing the Warriors into their second timeout of the set.
Miscommunications caused the Warriors to drop their first set in over a week, as the Owls clung to a 25-23 set win and put Corban against their backs heading to a fourth set. Their kill percentage plummeted to barely over .200, while OIT crept back above the .100 mark for the first time in the match.
The Navy and Gold now found themselves in a bare knuckled brawl after dominating the first two sets, as they traded runs back and forth throughout an intense fourth set at Danny Miles Court. Eventually, each team would find themselves in a 19-all draw, forcing Coach McLain into her first timeout of the set with the Owls putting a run together once again.
The momentum had swung aggressively in favor of Oregon Tech, who was able to match their previous set with another 25-23 win and force a decisive fifth period in front of what was now a rambunctious crowd on a Friday night in Klamath Falls. The Warriors hadn't found a team block since the first set and the Owls had clearly figured out how to take advantage of such.
Much to Warrior Nation's relief, the reverse sweep was not written in the stars tonight in Klamath Falls, as Corban sprinted out to an 8-2 lead and never looked back, clinching their eleventh-straight victory, and avoiding the road upset.
Troutman was the centerpiece in the Warriors' five-set thriller, logging a season-high 29 kills with 14 digs to stave off the Owls comeback bid. Freshman setter Nadeiah Howard was the only other Corban student-athlete with a double-double tonight, dishing out 26 assists and 10 digs to help lead Corban to victory.
Defensively for the Warriors, Uehara secured a team-high 18 digs in the backcourt, while junior middle blocker Allyson Reid sent back five attacks for the game-high in blocks. The ringleader of the Corban offense, sophomore setter Abby Guindy, dealt out a team-high 30 assist to set the pace for the Warriors, with sophomore opposite hitter Makayla Roginski on the bulk end of the receptions with Troutman by adding 13 kills.
Owls' outside hitter Molly Grace came alive in the third and fourth set to nab a 20-kill and 15-dig double-double, while their all-around setter Paige Tevelde dishing out a game-high 38 assists. Libero Kaley Whalen secured the game-high in digs with 19 in the backcourt.
A battle of the conference leaders awaits tomorrow night for Warrior Nation, as the No. 4-ranked Warriors will travel to Ashland to see No. 17-ranked Southern Oregon University (14-2-, 7-1) in action for the first time this year with the top of the conference standings on the line.
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