Head coach Tracy Smith returned to the bench for the first time since 2006, as Corban's women's volleyball team dropped a heart-breaker to Montana Tech in the Warriors' first match at the Red Lion Cascade/Frontier Challenge.
Red Lion Challenge Opens With Five-Set Heart Breaking Loss for Corban
BOX SCORE
SPOKANE, Wash. – In head coach Tracy Smith's return to the bench following a six-year hiatus to focus on missionary work, Corban University's women's volleyball team opened its 2012 season with a five-set heart-breaking loss to the Lady Orediggers of Montana Tech, 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-22, 10-15), Thursday inside the HUB Sports Center.
With tonight's season-opening set-back, Corban opens the new year with a record of 0-1. Meanwhile, Montana Tech improves to a perfect 2-0 under first-year head coach Brian Solomon.
Senior Chandra Teague led the Warriors offensively with a team-high 15 kills to go along with 20 digs, while junior Olivia Shropshire was the only other Corban player in double figures with 11 kills. The setting duo of junior Karisa Legg and sophomore Katherine Salness both registered double-doubles, as Legg tallied 16 assists and 14 digs to go along with a 22-assist, 13-dig performance by Salness. Freshman Kiersten Hilt led the Warriors' defensively with a team-high 22 digs, while junior Jenny Harman and sophomore Claire Bailey tallied three blocks each.
In the opening set, Corban would jump out to a quick three-point lead (5-2) following an attack error by Montana Tech. The Lady Orediggers would answer with set-closing 23-15 run that concluded with a service ace by Jesse Bowden for the 25-20 victory.
Set #2 would see Montana Tech earn an early three-point lead (9-6) before Corban used an 18-6 run that resulted in a nine-point advantage (24-15) following a MTT attack error. The Warriors would close out the second set on another Montana Tech hitting miscue that tie the match at a set-apiece thanks to a 25-17 Corban win.
The third set would be a back-and-forth battle over the opening 22 combined points until Montana Tech's Mikayla Sullivan began a 13-4 Lady Oredigger run that resulted in a 24-15 MTT lead. A set-closing kill by Sydney Norris would hand Montana Tech a 2-1 lead following a 25-19 victory.
Set #4 would be another dog fight over the opening 44 combined points until the set was tied at 22-all on another kill by Sullivan. Corban would close out the set on a 3-0 run that began with a kill by Teague before back-to-back attack errors by Montana Tech would send the match into a fifth and deciding set.
Corban would begin the final set on a 5-1 run before Montana Tech used a 10-3 run that resulted in an 11-8 Lady Oredigger lead. Despite pulling within two points (11-9) on an attack error by MTT, Corban would see the Lady Orediggers use a kill, two Warrior hitting errors, and a service ace to earn the hard-fought win (15-10).
Norris would lead a trio of Montana Tech players in double digits with 16 kills, while Sullivan and Korey Krumm added 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Alison Lunde would hand out a match-high 41 assists for the Lady Orediggers, while Kimmy Kavran led all players with a match-high 32 digs.
Corban will continue play at the Red Lion Cascade/Frontier Challenge tomorrow – Friday, August 24th – against Montana State Northern beginning at 12:00 p.m. inside the HUB Sports Center in Spokane, Washington.