Freshman outside hitter Shantelle Hill digs the ball during a match. (Photo credit: Doug Pfeiler)
ROCKLIN, Calif. – In the final contest of its four-game road trip on Monday evening, the Corban University volleyball team needed five sets to get the job done against William Jessup University (Calif.), ultimately prevailing in a five-set thriller (25-12, 20-25, 25-7, 22-25, 15-5). For the Warriors, it was their second-consecutive five-set match, with Monday night's being the first five-set triumph.
Corban (3-1) wasted no time putting William Jessup (0-1) on its heels, as the Warriors raced to a 10-0 first-set lead. Freshman defensive specialist Kasey Calderon (Murrieta, Calif.) recorded three service aces in the run. After William Jessup cut Corban's lead to single digits at 16-7, a kill by senior outside hitter Claire Bailey (Santa Rosa, Calif.) and back-to-back kills by freshman middle blocker Sloane Morrison (Edmonds, Wash.) returned the momentum to Corban. Leading 23-12, a pair of William Jessup miscues handed Corban set one.
The second set told a different tale, as the two teams traded leads six different times. Trailing William Jessup, 8-11, the Warriors used a 6-1 run capped off by a kill by sophomore setter Haley Meili (Eugene, Ore.) to take back the advantage. After Morrison's attack knotted the set at 16 apiece, William Jessup compiled three kills and used three Corban errors to take a 22-16 lead. The Warriors went on to lose the set, 20-25.
In the third set, Corban's commanding offensive attack was led by the serving dynamics of junior defensive specialist Kelsey Wright (Beaverton, Ore.), who tallied four aces in the midst of a 9-0 run to give the Warriors a 16-3 set lead. A kill by senior opposite hitter Miah Smith (Albany, Ore.) and an ace by Calderon brought Corban to set point, and one of William Jessup's 31 attack errors bestowed the third set to the Warriors.
Set four saw another tight stanza with five ties and three lead changes. After kills by Morrison and Bailey tied the set at 12, William Jessup responded with a 7-2 run to take the set lead for good. Corban cut the deficit to two (22-24), but a kill by William Jessup sophomore right-side hitter Jenna Richmond sent the match to a decisive set five.
Four William Jessup errors and three Corban kills paved the way for a 7-0 Warrior run to start the fifth set. A kill by freshman opposite hitter Shelby Miller (Lebanon, Ore.) brought the set to match point, and Bailey's blast into William Jessup territory handed the Warriors a 15-5 set victory.
Three Warriors cashed in with double-digit kills. Bailey added a season-high 12 kills, while freshman outside hitter Shantelle Hill (Pasco, Wash.) and Morrison chipped in 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
As a team, the Navy and Gold shot a 0.433 hitting percentage and recorded 11 service aces. Wright and Calderon combined for nine aces in the match and assembled a total of 17 aces as a duo in the three-game, California road-swing.
"Kasey Calderon and Kelsey Wright contributed throughout the trip with outstanding serving performances," commented head volleyball coach Tracy Smith.
With the victory, Corban is off to its best start since the 2011 campaign. During the California trip, the Warriors played a total of 13 sets and averaged over 43 kills per game.
"Our California trip was helpful for working on lineups, giving everyone an opportunity to compete, and it helped to identify areas to work on individually and as a team," stated Smith.
Corban returns to the hardwood on Friday as it competes in the Puget Sound Premier in Tacoma, Wash. As part of a double-header, the Warriors will take on the University of Puget Sound at 12 p.m. followed by Pacific Lutheran University at 3 p.m. Corban then closes out a busy two-week stretch of games when it faces off against Bethel University (Minn.) on Saturday at 12 p.m.