SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The last time the No. 8 Corban University Women's Volleyball team took to the court against No. 5-ranked Bellevue University, the Bruins had their way in a season-opening sweep of the Warriors at the Raider Invitational in Ashland on August 16th. However, neither of these two programs are anywhere close to the same team composition and playing style than they were in their initial matchup and will each have an opportunity to play for an NAIA Red Banner tomorrow should they emerge victorious in their highly anticipated rematch tonight at the Tyson Events Center.
"The maturity and growth this team has had since facing Bellevue earlier this season will be the difference maker we need as we battle for a spot in the national championship game," Warriors' head coach Kim McLain explained earlier today regarding their second national semifinal match in program history. "Bellevue is extremely well coached and knows how to take advantage of a team's weaknesses, and we must remain focused on our gameplan, executing one point at a time. We're ready to continue this journey and are excited to do so on the national stage!"
Of the four teams that participated in the 2024 Raider Invitational this past August, three of those teams are represented among the NAIA national semifinalists, as the Warriors and Bruins are joined by No. 3-seeded Southern Oregon University who will battle No. 2-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University later tonight following the season-opening semifinal rematch. The victors from each of the semifinal matches will advance to the national championship game, which will be played tomorrow evening at 7pm CT/5pm PT.
The Warriors' stalwart defensive playstyle has been their bread and butter this entire national tournament thus far, as they've held their last three opponents to a .123 kill percentage in total, forcing 80 attacking errors and tallying 31 blocks across their pool play and quarterfinal victories. They'll attempt to full stop a Bellevue attacking front that most recently dismantled the No. 4-seeded Concordia University Nebraska defense with a .293 kill percentage, committing just 19 errors with an impressive 73 kills, with four players in double-digits for kills.
As usual with most collegiate volleyball programs, the Bruins find a majority of their success from the left and right sides of the net, led by outside hitter Eve Fountain and opposite hitter Kealy Kiviniemi at the national final site. Against the Bulldogs, Fountain and Kiviniemi combined for 25 of the team's 71 kills with just seven errors between the two starting attackers, with right side hitter Sidney Sledge providing another 12 kills on a .385 kill percentage in Bellevue's secondary rotation.
Middle blocker Savanna Berger was the hot hand in their quarterfinal matchup against CUNE, tallying a team-high 16 kills on a .400 kill percentage. She's proven to be their first offensive option out of the middle and leads the team defensively in blocks with nearly one block averaged per set played. Fellow middle blocker Haley Fleischman added nine kills with just one error against Concordia yet sees about half the attacking attempts when compared to Berger.
With the assumption that the Navy and Gold bring their same level of playing style they've had since losing senior middle blocker Allyson Reid for the remainder of the season due to an injury in their opening pool play match, the Bruins should see difficulties in replicating the same success they've had in their first three contests and pool play tiebreaker sets, as the Warriors frontcourt presence at the net and backcourt digs have stepped up production since journeying to the US central time zone. Junior Gracie Boeder has replaced Reid in the middle of the net and held her own as the NWAC Player of the Year in 2023 for Linn-Benton Community College as a true middle, swatting seven blocks with just a single attacking error in her two matches played as the starting middle blocker for Coach McLain.
Meanwhile, junior Kylie Davey replaced Boeder on the opposite side and has been highly effective with 17 kills and five blocks, allowing the Warriors' setters to dish the ball out more consistently to their reserves and to the backrow for all-around sophomore outside hitters Emma Bischoff and Kendra Bittle. Along with the consistent gameplay from Bischoff and Bittle on the left side of the net, senior libero Marissa Uehara has stepped up and took full control of the Corban backcourt, hauling in 65 digs over the past nine sets to average over seven per set, the highest average over a two-game span by far for the Kaneohe, Hawaii native.
Warrior Nation members who made the trip to Sioux City and need tickets to today's match can purchase them HERE, while those watching from home can either view for free on the UEN or NAIA Network. Live stats are available for free by clicking HERE.
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