CALDWELL, Idaho – Following an upset win over No. 1- ranked Eastern Oregon University last night, the No. 5-ranked Corban University women's volleyball team traveled to face No. 8-ranked College of Idaho in a rematch of a five-set match that fell the Yotes' way in Salem earlier this season. The No. 5-ranked Warriors took the first two sets in dominant fashion, 25-20 and 25-14, but the Yotes bounced back winning three straight sets 19-25, 18-25, and ultimately 17-19 in an elongated fifth set.
Warriors' head coach Kim McLain said, "We came out ready to compete and set the tone early with aggressive serving in the first two sets." She noted, "Our passing allowed us to run our offense effectively and put pressure on them." Although the Warriors fell in the reverse sweep, Coach McLain added, "It was a battle until the very end, and I couldn't be prouder of the fight, determination, and heart this team showed on the road against a very tough College of Idaho team."
Corban (17-6, 10-4) started the first set hitting .061 with 10 kills and 8 errors and holding the College of Idaho (19-1, 12-1) to.056 with 10 kills and 8 errors as well. The Warriors stepped it up offensively in the second to hit .360 with 13 kills and only 4 errors, which led to trouble for the Yotes who hit .74 with only 7 kills and 5 errors, allowing the Warriors to take set two with a score of 25-14.
The third set is when College of Idaho showed their grit by jumping out and hitting .200 with 16 kills and 7 errors and holding Corban to .111 with 9 kills and 5 errors which in turn led, them to win 25-19. The fourth set proved to be similar to the third, as Corban would struggle with only hitting .077 with 10 kills and 6 errors whilst the Yotes hit .261 with 18 kills and 6 errors, eventually leading to a 25-18 set score in favor of College of Idaho.
The fifth set was closer than the entire four sets prior had been overall, with eight tied scores and five lead changes throughout, with Corban hitting .214 with 8 kills and 2 errors, whilst the Yotes hit their highest percentage of the game at .308 with 17 kills and 5 errors. The Yotes would claim the match in a rollercoaster of a fifth set, eking out a 19-17 extra-point win to edge the Warriors in a fifth-set thriller once again.
Offensively, Corban was led by freshman opposite hitter Greta Van Gemert who secured a career-high of 19 kills and hit an efficient .302, alongside an all-around performance from senior outside hitter Emma Bischoff who recorded her 12th double-double of the year with 11 kills and 15 digs. Redshirt freshman setter Braeleigh MacAskill led the Warriors with 22 assists, followed by a 17-assist outing by senior setter Nadeiah Howard. Dani Street powered the Warriors defensively with a game-high 26 digs.
College of Idaho was led offensively by Jessica Stires who hit .275 with 19 kills and four digs. Abigail Flerchinger followed her up with 13 kills and a .200 hitting percentage. Cierra Bohrn added 11 kills, and Kelsey Stanger added 10 kills. Defensively, Avery Lewis led the Yotes with 24 digs, trailing only Street.
The Warriors will look to bounce back next weekend against The Evergreen State College (2-16, 1-13) in Salem on Friday, October 23rd at 6pm, followed by Northwest University (6-16, 2-11) on Saturday, October 24th at 4pm.
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