Sophomore Tiffany Land returned to the form that she shined with as a freshman thanks to a team-leading eight kills Saturday against The Master's College.
Land Leads Corban in Finale at Cougar Classic
BOX SCORE
AZUSA, Calif. – After watching a freshman lead the team in kills over the opening three matches, sophomore Tiffany Land (Independence, Ore.) decided to take over that statistical category thanks to her team-high eight kills.
Unfortunately it did not come amidst joy, as Corban's volleyball team fell to The Master's College, 3-1 (27-25, 16-25, 22-25, 17-25), Saturday afternoon in its finale at the Cougar Classic played inside the Felix Event Center on the campus of Azusa Pacific University.
In a hard-fought opening set, Corban took control early thanks to an opening 7-0 run that included three kills from freshman Morgan Hirzel (Fullerton, Calif.) and a pair of service aces by junior Heather Anderson (Corbett, Ore.). The Master's battled back to within four points (9-5) before the Warriors extended their lead to as much as nine (19-10). A quick 9-0 run by The Master's erased Corban's lead, as the score was knotted at 19-all. Both teams battled back and forth over the remainder of the set before the Warriors dropped the final blow via back-to-back attack errors by the Mustangs, which handed Corban the much-needed two-point win, 27-25.
Set #2 saw Corban hold a two-point lead (13-11) midway through the frame, but The Master's came back thanks to a 4-0 run that would give them the lead for good. The Warriors could not get any closer than three points (18-15) before The Master's used a set-closing 7-1 run that resulted in a 25-16 victory.
For the third straight set, Corban jumped out to a quick lead and held a five-point advantage (11-6) before The Master's erased the deficit via a 6-1 run that knotted things at 12-12. The Mustangs from Santa Clarita would grab a seven-point lead (22-15) before Corban battled back to within two points (23-21) thanks to a 6-1 run. Unfortunately, the difference was too much for the Warriors as The Master's closed out the set with a 2-1 run that resulted in a 25-22 victory.
The fourth and final set was a battle over the opening 22 points until The Master's used a set-closing 14-6 run that would eventually seal the deal thanks to a 25-17 win that closed out the match in four sets. Corban's run in Southern California came to an end when The Master's Caitlyn Ramirez ended the match with a kill.
Besides Land's performance at the net, Hirzel and fellow freshman Chandra Baskoro (Gresham, Ore.) added 7 and 6 kills respectively. Freshman Karisa Calderon (Murrieta, Calif.) recorded her second double-double of the season with a team-high 16 assists and 15 digs. In the back row, Anderson registered a career-high 20 digs to go along with junior Teri Braun (Dallas, Ore.) and Hirzel's match-high five blocks each (1 solo, 4 assist).
The Master's College was led by Ramirez's match-high 16 kills, while Sarah Oskam and Stephanie McBride added 15 and 8 kills respectively. Running the Mustangs' offense was Emily Gray with a match-high 43 assists, while Leslie Windham registered a match-high 27 digs from her position near the back of the court.
After its final match in Southern California, Corban finds itself at 0-4 to begin the season. Meanwhile, The Master's College improves to 2-2 on its young season. The Warriors will return to the Beaver State on Tuesday, August 25th, when they take on the defending Great Northwest Conference champions Western Oregon beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Monmouth.