SIOUX CITY, Iowa – There was no doubt which of the two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) members in Pool H was the top performer in their highly anticipated rubber match played out today at the NAIA National Championships, as the No. 8-ranked Corban University Women's Volleyball team steamrolled their conference foe in No. 22-ranked College of Idaho, sweeping the Yotes in dominant set results of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-21. With today's victory, the Warriors claim a 2-1 series win over the Yotes in 2024 and end day one with a 1-0 record in pool play.
"C of I is a well-coached and talented team!" explained Corban head coach Kim McLain following her team's second win in three attempts over the Yotes this season. "I am extremely proud of my team and what they accomplished today. We had a definitive game plan set, and they were able to stay on task throughout this match, making adjustments when needed. We knew we had to serve them tough to get them out of system, as they can be dangerous at the net. We look forward to preparing for our next match and getting back out on the court on Friday."
Despite falling behind early in the opening set, the Warriors (25-5) defense rebounded viciously with a six-block set, more than they had in their entire opening round matchup against the University of Mobile. College of Idaho (21-14) was able to take advantage of numerous Corban attacking errors and service miscues to lead 11-7, yet a seven-point run by the Warriors flipped the momentum completely into their favor and would trade runs throughout the remainder of the set to close out the opening period 25-19.
A six-point rally by the Navy and Gold after falling behind 3-1 in the second set was all they needed to push C of I into multiple timeouts in the first 17 points scored, resulting in a runaway 25-17 set win to push their match lead into a 2-0 advantage. The Yotes were held to just five kills the entire second period and continued to struggle offensively against the Warriors' sturdy blockers and reliable backcourt presence.
It wasn't until the third set that Corban was finally tested down the stretch and forced to dig deep if they wanted to secure the neutral site sweep, as C of I went point-for-point with the Warriors and even led 15-12 following a kill by outside hitter Mia Hutchinson. However, remaining consistent with the first two sets, the Navy and Gold put together another six-point run, which was highlighted by a pair of kills by sophomore outside hitter Emma Bischoff, which flipped their deficit into a 22-17 advantage. Even despite three-straight points by the Yotes and pulling to within two points from tying the set score, Coach McLain utilized a perfectly called timeout to squash C of I's dreams of a reverse sweep and conclude the match with back-to-back kills by Bischoff and redshirt junior middle blocker Jadah Schmidtke.
Corban dominated every facet of their match with College of Idaho today at the Tyson Events Center, nearly doubling up on the Yotes in points (56-34), logging 15 more kills (39-24), and leading in service aces (8-5), blocks (9-5), assists (38-22), and digs (39-34) made for a perfect pool play opener for the Warriors. Leading in every statistical category was just the start for the Navy and Gold this afternoon, as they held the Yotes high-octane offense to a negative kill percentage (-.011) in the three-set affair to represent only the match all season long that C of I was held to more attacking errors than kills, as Corban's defenders outplayed the Coyote attackers all match long.
On an individual basis, Coach McLain's program put together a well-rounded effort where five different student-athletes logged at least five kills and all six attackers were responsible for at least five points in total, led by junior opposite hitter Makayla Roginksi and her nine kills, four blocks, and four digs with a .467 kill percentage. Bischoff and Schmidtke added eight and seven kills apiece, respectively, with sophomore outside hitter Kendra Bittle pitching in six kills and six digs.
The highly efficient Corban offense that attacked at .247 for the match, their seventh-highest attacking clip as a team this season, was powered by junior setter Abby Guindy and sophomore setter Nadeiah Howard, who dealt out 21 and 11 assists and combined for nine digs in their backcourt duties.
The game-high dig leader was represented by senior libero Marissa Uehara, who dug up 14 attacks and added a pair of service aces as well. Finally, in yet another dominant defensive performance for the program's all-time leader in blocks, senior middle blocker Allyson Reid added six more to her 605-career block total, representing the fourth-most by a CCC student-athlete in the conference's 20+ year history.
C of I was led in the front court by middle blocker Shelbey Nichol and her game-high 10 kills on a .250 kill percentage, representing one of just two Yotes to attack in the positive this afternoon. Outside hitter Haley McUne was the digs leader for College of Idaho at eight in today's match, setter Savannah Hutchins dealt out the team-best assist mark with 16 dimes, while middle blocker Abby Draghici was involved in four block assists.
As the top seed in Pool H, Corban volleyball will enjoy an off-day tomorrow while the Yotes and No. 11-ranked Aquinas College (40-1) square off in their own pool play match. Regardless of the outcome, the Warriors will battle the Saints on Friday at 1pm CT/11am PT with a chance to move into bracket play as a top eight team with a victory for the second time in the past three years.
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