WVB vs CI (10.18.25)
Doug Pfeiler
Pictured: junior setter Nadeiah Howard
1
College of Idaho CI 13-8, 7-7
3
Winner Corban (OR) CRB 17-4, 11-3
College of Idaho CI
13-8, 7-7
1
Final
3
Corban (OR) CRB
17-4, 11-3
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
College of Idaho CI 25 23 21 23 (1)
Corban (OR) CRB 22 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Clayton Messerle, Assistant Athletic Director

No. 8 Corban Women’s Volleyball Stays Perfect on Home Court via Four-Set Payback Over No. 19 Yotes

SALEM, Ore. – In the middle of September, the No. 8-ranked Corban University Women's Volleyball team put their undefeated Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) record on the chopping block when they traveled to then No. 12-ranked College of Idaho and dropped a four-set match in Caldwell, followed by a four-set loss to No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon University the following night. This afternoon, the Warriors silenced any doubts that arose from those road losses with their own four-set victory over the now No. 19-ranked Yotes after upsetting the top-ranked and previously undefeated Mountaineers last night in fatefully, four sets. After dropping the opening set 25-22, the Navy and Gold responded with 25-23, 25-21, and 25-23 set scores to remain perfect on Tim Hills Court in 2025.

"I'm proud of our team for tonight's win," began Corban head coach Kim McLain. "We showed grit and determination after a slow start and stayed focused when it mattered most. C of I is a well-coached team with talented student-athletes that relentlessly keep coming at you offensively, and our group responded with toughness and composure."

Riding the high of upsetting the No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA last night, the Warriors (17-4, 11-3) opened today's contest with the visiting Yotes (13-8, 7-7) and struggled mightily on the offensive end of the court, committing seven unforced attacking errors in the first set alone to dig themselves into an early 19-12 hole. Despite rattling off five-straight points to pull within a pair, the damage had already been done and C of I was able to end the set on a 4-2 run to steal the opening set on the road, just as Corban had done to them in Caldwell earlier this season.

The poor offensive play continued into the second set for the Navy and Gold, eventually staring a 2-0 set deficit in the face trailing 20-17 following another back-to-back unforced attacking errors. However, Corban's ever-reliable defensive presence at the net kicked into another gear that saw the Warriors scored six-straight points and turn a three-point deficit into a three-point lead at 23-20, with half of the points being scored on blocking plays.

After trading side-outs, The College of Idaho secured their own block at the net to pull within a single rally of forcing extra points, yet the ringleader of tonight's blocking brigade, senior middle blocker Gracie Boeder, smashed one of her many kills to clinch the match-tying set at 25-23.

Now even at one set apiece, the Warriors and Yotes traded side-outs for the first 18 points of the third set before C of I finally scored on back-to-back plays to break the streak, but a 4-0 Corban run late in the period provided the hometown team with just enough distance to sneak away with a 25-21 set victory and pull within one of clinching the undefeated weekend against a pair of NAIA top twenty programs.

The fourth and final set played out tonight on Tim Hills Court featured some of the most ridiculous scoring runs by either team all year long, as the Warriors quickly jumped out to an 11-3 lead that forced both of C of I's timeouts in just 14 points, yet the Yotes erased their massive deficit with a 10-0 run to take a commanding 20-16 advantage and force the Navy and Gold into gut-check mode.

As if on cue, Coach McLain took her final timeout and her team responded with a 6-0 run of their own, refusing to play five sets on their home court. C of I secured the two following points and at 23-all, junior outside hitter Kendra Bittle called "game" all on her own by clinching a solo stuff at the net followed by a match-clinching kill.

The Warriors attacked at a meager .020 kill percentage in the opening set with nine errors, but wouldn't commit more than seven of the next two sets after once again finding their rhythm. A dominant 15-5 advantage in blocks against the Yotes, along with a 10-6 margin in service aces and slight edge in digs at 67-66, allowed the Navy and Gold to pick up their eleventh win of the season within the confines of the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

Senior opposite hitter Makayla Roginski brought the heavy hammer today for the Corban offense after a stumbling first set, piling up a game-high 15 kills and added five block assists and four digs along the way. Junior outside hitter Emma Bischoff tacked on nine more kills, while Boeder and redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Taylor Kieser added eight kills apiece. Bittle finished her impressive fourth set with seven kills and five digs.

The two-setter rotation of senior Abby Guindy and junior Nadeiah Howard rebounded from an ugly opening set where the offense lacked the necessary firepower to clinch double-double performances for the match, with Guindy distributing a team-high 23 assists along with ten digs defensively, while Howard dished out 17 dimes and dug up 11 Yote attacks. Howard also served up a trio of aces that kept C of I guessing on serve-receive all night long.

Boeder had another incredible defensive outing before she found her footing offensively later in the match, as she stacked up nine block assists as the central cog of the Corban defensive presence at the net. Meanwhile in the backcourt, junior libero Kaile'a Ontai had yet another monster performance for Coach McLain's program, as she secured a game-high 28 digs and nearly had her first career double-double with seven assists.

C of I's all-around outside hitter Mia Hutchinson did it all for the Yotes in an incredible outing, as she matched Roginski with 15 kills of her own while hauling in 14 digs for a substantial double-double showing. Setters Madeline Lee and Capri Salmon were extremely efficient in their own two-setter rotation, with Lee clinching a game-high 31 assists and Salmon rattling off another double-double of 17 assists and 12 digs, while libero Kadence Boyd dug up a team-high 18 digs.

The Corban women's volleyball team will travel to western Washington next weekend in their penultimate road trip of the 2025 regular season, as they'll begin in Olympia with a 6pm start time scheduled against The Evergreen State College Geoducks (1-17, 1-13).

Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter (X)Instagram l YouTube l Email

Print Friendly Version