SALEM, Ore. – It was pandemonium at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center tonight in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Game of the Week, as the No. 7-ranked Corban University Volleyball team was within grasp of a reverse sweep of No. 2-ranked Eastern Oregon University to stay undefeated in conference play, yet was unable to clinch the comeback after the Mountaineers fended off four-straight match points in the fifth set to escape the Willamette Valley with a victory. The Mounties (13-1, 5-1) took the match via 25-14, 25-17, 22-25, 25-27, and 16-14 set scores, yet the Warriors (10-2, 6-1) remain on top of the CCC standings by a half game over Eastern Oregon and via tiebreaker with No. 5-ranked Southern Oregon University.
"We came out forcing our offensive options, making too many unforced errors in the first two sets," explained Corban head coach Kim McLain following the team's third five-set match of the year and second-consecutive game to go the distance. "I was proud of the team and the adjustments we made in the third and fourth sets to force a fifth. We learned a lot about who we are tonight and will continue to grow and improve each day."
In the first matchup between CCC volleyball rivals this season, the Mountaineers came out of the visiting locker room and were unstoppable throughout both the first and second sets, as the Warriors couldn't find a glimpse of consistency against EOU's defensive front and were forced to play the baselines/sidelines instead of utilizing the middle of the court. Every correct turn for Corban was immediately countered by the Mountaineers as they rolled to 25-14 and 25-17 set scores in what appeared to be Eastern Oregon's third-consecutive sweep in Salem.
However, determined not to be shutout in their fourth Top 10 matchup of the season in just 12 matches played, the Navy and Gold offense turned up the temperature at the peak of Corban's campus with a game-high 19 kills in the period, holding the Mountaineers to a .162 kill percentage on the defensive end as well. They expanded their match-best lead to 16-10 following a kill by junior opposite hitter Makayla Roginski and would go on to hold a 22-15 advantage prior to an EOU five-point run.
Eastern Oregon eventually pulled within a single point at 23-22, yet a perfectly called timeout by Coach McLain allowed the Warriors to take the set on a kill from Roginski and attacking error by the Mounties. Just like EOU did over the opening two sets, Corban jumped on any errant play opportunity the Mountaineers provided them with, which eventually resulted in the missed sweep opportunity against a nationally ranked opponent.
Defense was the highlight of the fourth set on both sides of the net, as EOU managed to hit .000 for the period while Corban had just 13 kills compared to ten attacking errors. The Mounties were the first to take advantage of Warrior mistakes, leaping out to a 10-3 lead before a kill by senior middle blocker Allyson Reid and back-to-back service aces from senior libero Marissa Uehara cut the deficit to three.
Slowly but surely, Corban chipped away at the Mountaineer lead, eventually overtaking the scoreboard at 16-15 before handing it right back to EOU four points later. The pendulum would tip back towards the Warriors once again with four-straight points, with Roginski right at the center having secured a kill and block alongside Reid.
Eastern Oregon would hang tight down the stretch and fend off set point on two separate occasions, yet junior outside hitter Gracie Boeder would singlehandedly force a fifth set after back-to-back kills in extra points, highlighted by an over by EOU that was smashed into the hardwood to rock Tim Hills Court.
With the entire attendance now on their feet for a winner-take-all fifth set, each team traded three-point runs prior to a Corban timeout at 5-4 in favor of Eastern Oregon. Another three-point run by the Navy and Gold had Warrior Nation fans in awe, and would see eventually see EOU utilize both timeouts as Corban pulled within two points of quite possibly the biggest comeback in program history.
A block by Reid and Roginski would provide the Warriors match point at 14-10, yet would prove to be not enough as Eastern Oregon reversed their fate and scored six-consecutive points to eke out a 16-14 fifth set victory to pull within a half game of Corban in the conference standings. With the No. 5-ranked Raiders win this evening against Lewis-Clark State College, the three CCC juggernauts have now all traded wins/losses against each other as the midway point of the conference slate quickly approaches, with EOU having lost to SOU, Corban having defeated Southern Oregon, and Eastern Oregon hanging on for a nail-biting road victory tonight over the Warriors.
The first two sets were devastating for the Warriors' attacking percentages on the night, as EOU held the home team to negative kill percentages in each of the sets and resulting in less than respectable final numbers for the Navy and Gold prior to their forcing of a fifth set. Roginski led all student-athletes with 14 kills, followed by sophomore outside hitter Kendra Bittle's twelve kills and Bischoff's eleven.
Junior setter Abby Guindy and sophomore setter Nadeiah Howard dealt out 25 and 23 assists, respectively, with Guindy adding nine digs and Howard with eight. Howard continues to impress with her dual-threat abilities while on the court with yet another dump kill in the middle of a Eastern Oregon defensive gap.
Bischoff held a team-high 16 kills to lead the backcourt players, providing her with yet another double-double outing, her fourth-straight and seventh on the season. Uehara added eleven digs and secured a pair of service aces.
A rare middle blocker double-double by Kiauna Mack with an impressive 13 block assists and a solo stuff combined with ten kills offensively highlighted the EOU performances tonight, with outside hitters Emma Burlingame and Keira Vaughn adding twelve and eleven kills, respectively. Setter Alexis McMurtrey led the field with 27 assists along with eight digs, while libero Hailey Arritola pitched in a game-high 23 digs.
The Warriors continue their homestand next Friday as they welcome their conference mascot doppelgangers in Lewis-Clark State College (9-4, 6-2) on Friday, September 27th at 7pm.
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