Senior Rachelle Davenport recorded her second-best kill total of the season tonight against the nationally-ranked Coyotes of The College of Idaho.
Davenport Leads Corban Versus No. 22-Ranked 'Yotes of The College of Idaho
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Senior Rashelle Davenport (Kalama, Wash.) recorded a team-high 14 kills to go along with freshman Tiffany Land's (Independence, Ore.) 10-kill performance, but Corban's women's volleyball team fell to the NAIA's No. 22-ranked 'Yotes of The College of Idaho, 3-1 (13-25, 25-23, 18-25, 18-25), Friday night inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
Beginning its next-to-last home weekend of the season, Corban knew that it would be a tough uphill climb facing one of the top teams in the conference. A victory would propel the Warriors into a tie with Concordia for the fifth spot in the playoffs, as well as put Corban into the driver's seat heading into the final five matches of the season.
In the opening set, The College of Idaho jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back. The visiting 'Yotes pushed their lead to as much as 11 points (21-10) following a kill by Kristen Henning. Corban attempted a comeback but the deficit was too much, as C of I cruised to an opening 12-point win (25-13).
In the second set, things look pretty similar to the opening set as The College of Idaho built a four-point lead (8-4) following a kill by Jessie Link. Using a never-say-die attitude, Corban battled back via a 4-0 run to knot the set at 8-all thanks to a kill by Land. The Warriors would then use a 7-2 run to pull ahead by five (15-10), as Davenport and Land each recorded a kill sandwiched around a pair of 'Yote hitting errors. C of I then used a 7-2 run of its own to knot the set once again at 17-17 before the two teams battled tooth and nail over the next 12 combined points until the scoreboard read 23-23. Another Land kill coupled with a hitting error by The College of Idaho handed the second set to the Warriors (25-23), while knotting the match at a set apiece and sending the home crowd into a frenzy heading into the break.
In the third set, C of I came out once again and built another lead (6-3) right out of the shoot before Corban battled back via a 4-1 run to tie the set at 7-all. The visiting 'Yotes would then use an 8-3 run to pull away (15-10) before Corban got back within two points (20-18) via an 8-5 run that was highlighted by a pair of kills each by Davenport and sophomore Teri Braun (Dallas, Ore.). Unfortunately, a 5-0 run by The College of Idaho ended the third set (25-18) as the momentum seemed to switch back towards the visitors.
In the fourth and final set, Corban turned the tables on the 'Yotes as the Warriors built an early lead (7-3). Corban continued to hold the lead until the score was tied at 12-12, as C of I used a 6-0 run to grab an 18-12 lead and pull away for good. The Warriors attempted to comeback, but could not get any closer than four points (21-17) following a Land kill. The College of Idaho would close out the match via a 4-1 run to take the set by seven points (25-18) and the match in four sets.
Along with Davenport and Land, senior Chelsea Reeher (Powell Butte, Ore.) and a pair of Warriors -- Braun and senior Rachel Gowen (Oregon City, Ore.) -- added six and five kills respectively. Junior setter Amy Thompson (Oregon City, Ore.) teamed with freshman setter Megan Dees (Tehachapi, Calif.) to hand out a combined 39 assists, as Thompson recorded a team-high 23. Sophomore libero Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.) anchored the Warriors' back line with a team-high 12 digs, while junior Andrea Potloff (Aumsville, Ore.) and sophomore Heather Anderson (Corbett, Ore.) recorded 10 and 6 digs respectively. At the net, Gowen led the Warriors with a pair of blocks to go along with Reeher and Land, who each recorded a block on the night.
The College of Idaho was led by Sarah Buhler's match-high 15 kills, while Henning and a pair of 'Yotes -- Naomi Reimer and Link -- added 13 and 9 kills respectively. Reimer led all players with a match-high 32 assists, while Madie Machurek added 23 assists and Whitney Owen recorded a match-high 14 digs from her back row position.
With the loss, Corban evens its overall record at 10-10, including an 8-7 mark in conference play. Meanwhile, The College of Idaho improves to 16-7 overall, 13-2 in CCC action. The Warriors return to the court on Saturday, October 25th, when they host the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon beginning at 7:00 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem.