EUGENE, Ore. – For the second time in 2025, the No. 4-ranked Corban University Women's Volleyball program had to go the distance in a winner-take-all five-set match, this time down the I-5 corridor in Eugene against their travel partner rivals from RV Bushnell University. Just like in their first five-set match this season, the Warriors fell in only their fourth loss of the season via set scores of 25-21, 19-25, 25-27, 25-16, and 15-13 on the Beacons' home court.
"Tonight was a tough loss, Bushnell played a solid match and deserved to win," Corban head coach Kim McLain shared. "We struggled in several areas and just could never find our rhythm. It's a setback, but it's an opportunity to learn and grow from. We'll get back in the gym, keep working, and stay focused on improving."
After jumping out to an 11-8 lead in the opening set, the Warriors (14-4, 8-3) struggled to find consistency against the Beacons' (13-8, 7-4) blockers at the net, surrendering four of the next eleven points to Bushnell via the block and providing the receiving-votes squad with a 19-16 lead on their home court. The three-point hole the Navy and Gold had dug themselves proved to be too costly, as the Beacons traded points over the remainder of the opening period to snag a 25-21 upset set victory to kick off tonight's match.
That momentum carried into the second set for Bushnell, immediately scoring seven of the first ten points to force an early timeout out of Coach McLain. However, following a kill from senior opposite hitter Makayla Roginski, junior setter Nadeiah Howard served the Warriors into a 21-16 lead on eight-consecutive winning serves that forced the Beacons out of system, resulting in both attacking errors for Bushnell and kills for Corban. The Navy and Gold ended the second set on a 13-3 run and secured a 25-19 win to tie the match at one set apiece.
Both the Warriors and Beacons battled back and forth to open the pivotal third set, playing to a 21-21 tie before a kill for Roginski forced the second of two timeouts from Bushnell, who had used their first to kill a Corban run earlier in the set. With either team vying to take that 2-1 set advantage, the I-5 rivals exchanged service errors to require extra points, which Corban was able to take 27-25 behind a kill from redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Taylor Kieser and a longball attack from the Beacons.
Willed not to lose on their home floor within the Morse Center, the Beacon quickly established their attack once again in the fourth set, compelling Coach McLain into calling both of her timeouts by the 17-11 mark led by Bushnell. A fifth set was clearly in the writing from the very start of the fourth, as Bushnell ended the set on a 5-0 run and forced a winner-take-all set for the first time between the conference rivals since 2021 when the Warriors took the fifth 15-12 in Salem. The only other five-setter that Corban had played to date prior to tonight's contest in 2025 was a five-set loss on the road against then No. 19-ranked Missouri Baptist University.
Back-and-forth the Warriors and Beacons exchanged blows in the fifth, with Corban taking a narrow 8-6 lead at the court side swap before Bushnell scored the next five points to once again force the first timeout to come from the visiting bench. Despite the Navy and Gold battling back to pull within a point at 13-12, the Beacons secured a pair of kills over the final three points of the match to secure their first ever top five upset of a nationally ranked squad in the program's 32nd year of operation.
Both senior setter Abby Guindy and junior outside hitter Emma Bischoff registered double-double performances tonight in the Warriors' road efforts, as Guindy dealt out a game-high 31 assists with ten digs while Bischoff secured her tenth kill on the final Corban point while setting the game-high mark in digs with 23, which simultaneously set a new career-high mark for the Medford native.
Roginski also earned a match-best mark with 15 kills, while senior middle blocker Gracie Boeder secured four blocks. Meanwhile, junior libero Kaile'a Ontai was just as busy in the backcourt as Bischoff, as she tied her teammate with 23 digs of her own.
Double-double performances by Beacons' outside hitter Amyah Semau (15 kills, 13 digs) and setter Emma Fa'alogo (29 assists, 15 digs) paced Bushnell to their biggest upset win in program history, while opposite hitter Leah Agost and outside hitter Hailey Heider added 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Finally, libero Kailey Shirley hauled in 14 digs defensively while middle blocker Soleil Sands was the game leader in blocks with eight. The Beacons outpaced the Warriors 14-8 in blocks and 8-6 in service aces, matching in kills (59) while Corban led in assists (57-55) and digs (85-76).
The Warriors will next be in action this upcoming Saturday, October 11th, as they're scheduled to travel to Warner Pacific University (0-11, 0-10) for a 4pm first serve.
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