KIRKLAND, Wash. – Northwest University earned its second Cascade Conference victory of the young season with a 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23) hard earned victory over Corban College tonight in the Pavilion.

 

After dropping the first two sets of the match to Northwest, it appeared the Warriors from Salem, Oregon may be swept in three sets, but they game back strong in the third set as the lead changed hands nine times. With the set tied at 16-all, Corban went on a 6-0 run to take the lead for good at 22-16. Northwest would pull to within two, 22-20, but Corban would out score the Eagles 3-2 to win set three and send the match into its fourth set.

 

Set four would see NU take an early 7-3 lead capped off by a Breanna Covey kill, but Corban would again battle back and tie the score at 11-11. Corban would take a brief lead (12-11) but the set would see 6 more ties until the Warriors would pull ahead once again at 20-18. Northwest U. would then tie the set at 21-21 and then the teams would trade attack errors until NU’s Breanna Covey’s kill would put NU up 24-22 and then end 25-23 on a service error by Corban’s Jenny Harman.

 

Northwest U. (3-8, 2-0 CCC) was led by Lauren Holtz’s (Jr., Brier, Wash.) game high 14 kills and 20 defensive digs. Anu Akamine (Soph., Hauula, Hawaii) added 10 kills and 12 digs, while teammate Lauryn Ernster (Fresh., Bothell, Wash.) had 24 assists and 14 digs for the Eagles. Shelbe Kukowski (Soph., Anchorage, Alaska) added 15 digs for NU.

 

Freshman Morgan Hirzel (Fullerton, Calif.) led Corban College (1-8, 0-3 CCC) with 13 kills and Tiffany Land (Soph., Independence, Ore.)  added 11 kills. Karisa Calderon (Fresh., Murrieta, Calif.) had 29 assists and 18 digs for the Warriors and junior Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.) had a game high 23 digs on the night.

"I think we let up a bit after the second set," commented NU Head Coach Jessie Dietrich. "But, I was glad to see our team stick together, get focused again and finish. It's a good feeling to start out conference play with two victories," she concluded.

 

Northwest U. will host Northwest Christian University in a Cascade Conference contest tomorrow night and Corban College will travel to Olympia to take on conference opponent Evergreen State College. Both games are scheduled for 7:00 pm.