SALEM, Ore. – The first Battle of the Warriors in the 2025-26 school year toppled in the direction of Corban University over their mascot doppelgangers from Lewis-Clark State College, as the Salem-based No. 4-ranked Warriors sprinted to a 2-0 set lead, and despite a brief setback in one of their worst attacking sets of the season in the third, proceed to have one of their best offensive sets in the fourth to earn a four-set win over the No. 14-ranked Warriors from Lewiston, Idaho. Corban secured 25-15 and 25-14 wins in the first two sets, while LC State took advantage of costly miscues to nab a 25-16 third set before the Navy and Gold reawakened for a dominant 25-11 final set victory.
"LC State has an aggressive attack, so we knew going into this matchup that we had to serve tough to get them out of system," began Corban head coach Kim McLain. "I thought our team did a great job executing that game plan from the first serve. I was really proud of how we did the little things well, such as staying disciplined, communicating, and keeping our focus through every rally. Defense was a key part to this win, and I'm especially proud of how we out-defended them. That kind of effort and grit shows the heart of this team. We earned tonight's win with hustle and smart volleyball."
In the first half Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) finale for both Warrior squads who were vying for the second-overall seed within the conference standings, it was Corban (14-3, 8-2) who established early momentum over Lewis-Clark State (10-3, 7-3), utilizing 9-3 runs to start both the first and second sets that each resulted in early timeouts called by LCSC. While the Navy and Gold offense was as effective as ever, the defensive presence for Corban at the net is what forced LC State to attack negatively in both the first two sets, as they accumulated just 11 kills and committed 16 errors offensively.
Despite a massive advantage both on the scoreboard and in momentum, Corban's offensive attack struggled mightily in the third set, as 19 of the 25 points Lewis-Clark State would score came via a Corban attacking error, with 15 of those being represented by completely unforced attacking errors where LC State did not earn a block. With the errors stacking up and the hometown Warriors struggling to find the floorboards on attacks, the Lewiston-based Warriors were able to cruise to a 25-16 set win.
With Corban's ninth nationally ranked matchup of the season now going to a pivotal fourth set, the energy within the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center appeared to organically swing back to what fans were accustomed to observing through the first two sets, as the Navy and Gold quickly established a 17-6 lead and burned through both of LC State's timeouts before an 8-5 run to end the match resulted in the lopsided 25-11 final set score.
A career night for Corban junior outside hitter Emma Bischoff heavily influenced their 14-point fourth set victory, as the Medford native cashed in on nine of her career-high 20 kills in the fourth set alone, including a span where she accounted for four kills in a 5-0 Corban run. Bischoff led all attackers in kills along with a .333 attacking percentage and added eight digs defensively. Senior middle blocker Gracie Boeder, senior opposite hitter Makayla Roginski, and junior outside hitter Kendra Bittle all pitched in eight kills apiece.
The Navy and Gold's two-setter rotation of senior Abby Guindy and junior Nadeiah Howard worked tirelessly tonight both in running the Corban offense and defensively in the backcourt, as Guindy dished out a match-high 28 assists with nine digs, while Howard assisted on 22 kills and dug up eight balls defensively. Both Guindy and Howard tallied multiple service aces as well, with Howard besting Guindy with a 3-2 advantage for the game-high mark.
Junior libero Kaile'a Ontai kept pace within the CCC leaderboard for digs per set with another 15 digs tonight against LC State, adding an ace at the service line along the way. Ontai is currently ranked second in the conference for digs-average, as she racks up just under four and a half digs per set played.
LC State's offense just barely managed to stay above water and in the positives for kill percentage tonight, securing only 23 kills and committing 22 errors for a .008 attacking clip. Outside hitter Taylor Boyce led the way with eight kills, while First Team All-Conference outside hitter Juliauna Forgash Aguilar and opposite hitter Alba Carpena tacked on five kills apiece. Setter Teagan Scott dealt out a team-high 18 assists, while libero Ella Stosich dug up ten attacks to lead the team in digs.
Next Wednesday, the second half of conference play will kick off for the No. 4-ranked Warriors on the road against their I-5 rival RV Bushnell University (12-8, 6-4), as they look to clinch the season sweep and pick up a fourth-consecutive victory within the Morse Center.
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