SALEM, Ore. – Three different Warriors set new single game career-best results in various statistical categories for the No. 9-ranked Corban University Volleyball team tonight at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, thus leading the program to a season sweep of Oregon Tech in a four-set victory thanks to 25-23, 25-21, 26-28, and 27-25 set scores. The win tonight marks the tenth-consecutive matchup against the Lady Owls (14-11, 7-10) to fall in favor of the Warriors (18-4, 14-3), with their last loss being recorded in a neutral site game back in the spring of 2021 that OIT needed five sets to secure. Corban has only lost six sets over the active ten game streak to Oregon Tech with the sixth occurring tonight in an extra-point affair.
"We started out tonight tentative making too many unforced errors," explained Corban head coach Kim McLain. "I was proud of the team and how they turned things around, passing well which in turn helped our offense run effectively. Our defense in the back court was key tonight, continuing to play with grit through each point."
The playoff-contending Lady Owls brought their A-game on the road to the Willamette Valley this weekend, as they went toe-to-toe with the nationally ranked Warriors in every set to force the hometown team into making necessary adjustments all night long. Neither of the two squads could stretch their lead to larger than three points throughout the opening set, eventually leading to a 23-all tie and OIT looking to take advantage of a Corban service error.
Despite the Warriors' temporary setback, senior middle blocker Allyson Reid and sophomore outside hitter Emma Bischoff tacked on back-to-back kills to secure a first set victory at 25-23, with both attackers being assisted by junior setter Abby Guindy, one of multiple key performers tonight for the Navy and Gold.
After beginning the second set on a 19-11 scoring run, Corban allowed Oregon Tech to slowly crawl back into contention of snaking the set victory away and pulled within a 23-21 margin before another back-to-back kill performance, this time from redshirt junior middle blocker Jadah Schmidtke and Bischoff, allowed the Warriors to go up 2-0 on their home court.
However, OIT refused to be shutout after facing the same fate in their prior matchup down in the Klamath Basin earlier this season, where they eventually held their first set point opportunity of the evening at 24-22 before the Navy and Gold rallied to force extra points. The Warriors would eventually fight off four set points before Tech secured the set win at 28-26 on a Corban service and attacking error.
With momentum now on the Lady Owls' sideline, the two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) foes sparred for the fourth set in a must-win situation for OIT and would once again find themselves in a 24-22 lead with the opportunity to force a fifth and final set with a reverse sweep on the horizon. Facing another possible fifth set on their home court, the Warriors rallied to net back-to-back kills by Schmidtke and sophomore outside hitter Kendra Bittle and eventually outscore Oregon Tech 5-1 over the final six points, capped with another Bischoff kill to turn a probable set loss into a match victory and snap the Warriors' two-game losing streak.
Bischoff, Guindy, and senior libero Marissa Uehara improved their All-Conference resumes with breakout performances tonight, highlighting each of the Corban volleyball team's strengths that covered both offensive and defensive play. Bischoff smashed a career-high 19 kills on a .302 kill percentage along with 13 digs for her tenth double-double performance of the 2024 season. To complete the offensive scheme for the Warriors, Bittle added 16 kills and nine digs, junior opposite hitter Makayla Roginski tacked on 13 kills and three block assists, while Schmidtke tied her career-best kill mark at 11 on a .318 kill percentage.
Guindy was masterful in running the Corban offense to a .221 team kill percentage against a stout Lady Owl frontcourt unit that managed 11 blocks tonight, as she dished out a career-high 36 assists in a two-setter offense to average 9.0 dimes per set. She also dropped three service aces on OIT and dug up seven balls in the backcourt.
Defensively for the Warriors, Uehara kicked her old career-best dig mark to the curb with a game-high 31 digs tonight to average over seven per set, where she pitched in seven assists along the way to outpace every student-athlete on the court tonight. At the net, Reid stacked up five block assists and a pair of solo blocks to be involved in 7-of-9 blocking plays tonight for Corban.
Lady Owls' outside hitter Molly Grace had yet another all-around performance for OIT, matching Bischoff's 19 kills along with 12 digs and five block assists. Libero Kaley Whalen defended 22 digs in the backcourt, while all-around setter Lucy Boyd racked up a game-high 39 assists and dug up 19 digs while in the back row.
A massive home matchup with postseason implications on both sides of the net takes place tomorrow evening on Tim Hills Court when the No. 9-ranked Warriors host No. 5-ranked Southern Oregon University (21-2, 15-2) with an opportunity to secure a season sweep of the Raiders.
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