SALEM, Ore. – All eyes were on the Pacific Northwest tonight across the NAIA, as the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) featured three top 25 matchups, highlighted by the No. 8-ranked Corban University Women's Volleyball team hosting the undefeated No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers. In front of the biggest home crowd that the Warriors have seen in a five-year span, they clinched the biggest upset of the season across the country with a four-set victory over the Mounties, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, and 31-29, handing EOU their first head-to-head loss since the 2022 national semifinal matchup. Prior to tonight's match, 19 opponents have walked onto Tim Hills Court and been handed a loss by Corban women's volleyball. Tonight, Eastern Oregon fell victim as the 20th-consecutive squad after having won their 20th match of the season just last Saturday, which allowed the Warriors to stay undefeated atop Corban's campus in 2025.
"Eastern Oregon is a well-coached and talented team, we knew we had to stay aggressive, limit unforced errors, and make our presence known at the net to support our backcourt," explained Corban head coach Kim McLain following her team's statement victory. "Our team showed grit, composure, and a never-give-up attitude. I'm so proud of how they competed with purpose and determination all week, which paid off in tonight's match!"
The electric atmosphere in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center lasted from starting lineups to the match-clinching point for the Warriors (16-4, 10-3), as both programs battle back-and-forth for a majority of the night, with the exception of a 25-14 blowout in the third for Corban in which the Mountaineers (20-1, 12-1) were held to just nine kills while the Navy and Gold pummeled EOU's infamous "block party" mentality with 18 kills and just three errors for an exceptional .441 kill percentage in the period.
Prior to the dominant third set, both squads split the first and second sets with identical set scores of 25-22, quite literally matching each other point-for-point as they drew even at the net with 13 kills apiece in each period. However, after the Warriors made quick work of the Mounties in the third set, holding Eastern Oregon to their lowest single set point total of the entire season with just 14, the fourth set marathon turned from what appeared to be a match heading into a winner-take-all fifth set into a miraculous comeback for Corban women's volleyball.
Following an 11-11 tie, the Mountaineers scored five of the next six points to take a 16-12 lead and force Coach McLain into calling one of her two timeouts for the set. The Warriors slowly chipped away to pull within a single point on multiple occasions, but a kill by EOU's outside hitter Keira Vaughn forced McLain's second timeout, trailing 22-20.
The second stoppage proved to be the swing in momentum the Navy and Gold needed to resurrect their four-set match aspirations, with Corban scoring back-to-back points to tie the match at 23-all and eventually force extra points on Tim Hills Court. After fighting off the second of two set-points for the Mounties, junior outside hitter Emma Bischoff pounded another kill into the hardwood and followed up with a service ace to put her team up 26-25 and force what would stand to be the final EOU timeout of the match.
Exchanging the next five scoring plays to set up a 28-28 stalemate was flipped back in Eastern Oregon's favor following a Corban attacking error by junior outside hitter Kendra Bittle, yet she didn't allow her miscue to affect her any further, as Bittle tallied the Warriors' 64th kill of the contest on the next rally that kickstarted a 3-0 run that clinched the upset victory in an extended 31-29 final set score.
While tonight's result was evenly matched for the most part, as the Warriors showed the rest of the country that the distance between No. 1 and No. 8 is razor thin, a rough night at the service line for EOU was ultimately one of the major factors that played into Corban's victory after the Mounties committed 12 service errors and earned only three aces.
Bischoff, Bittle, and senior middle blocker Gracie Boeder were the offensive sparkplugs that resulted in tonight's season-defining win for the Navy and Gold, as they tallied 19, 14, and 13 kills, respectively, with a combined kill percentage of .311 after being responsible for over two-thirds of the team's total kills.
The Warriors' offensive scheme was handled efficiently by senior setter Abby Guindy behind her fourth double-double of the season dishing out a game-high 30 assists while digging up ten Mountaineer attacks in the backcourt. Sophomore setter Nadeiah Howard added 21 assists and alongside Guindy, tallied three kills on beautifully placed dump passes over the net to catch EOU's blockers off guard.
Junior libero Kaile'a Ontai conducted a nearly flawless backcourt orchestra as the team's defensive leader, as she secured a team-high 19 digs while assisting on three kills. Finally for the Warriors' individual efforts, sophomore middle blocker Addison Mills led the program in blocks with four assisted stuffs tonight.
The Mounties' first loss of the season didn't come without standout performances from key seniors, as middle blocker Kiauna Mack attacked out of every side of the net with 13 kills and just three errors, while outside hitter Keira Vaughn set the team-high kill mark with 16 and added six blocks. Setter Kate Stidham nearly matched Guindy in assists with 29 tonight.
Middle blocker Mylie Mills was the EOU defensive leader at the net with seven block assists, while libero Jaycee Villastrigo kept the traveling Mountaineer fans' hopes alive on a handful occasions with 26 crucial digs to lead all players.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Warriors will host yet another NAIA Top 25 opponent in the brutal gauntlet that is the CCC, as No. 19-ranked College of Idaho (13-7, 7-6) will visit Tim Hills Court for a 4pm first serve.
Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter (X) l Instagram l YouTube l Email