Corban came from behind to win a five-set thriller on Friday night. (Photo Credit: Luke Dusenbury)
SALEM, Ore. – The C.E. Jeffers Sports Center was packed for a crucial matchup between the No. 15-ranked Warriors of Corban University and the No. 11-ranked Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon University, and in thrilling fashion, the Navy and Gold downed Eastern Oregon in five sets (25-20, 19-25, 19-25, 25-23, 17-15). The triumph puts Corban in a spot where it now controls its own destiny moving forward to clinch its first-ever Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular-season title.
"Eastern came ready to battle, and it was a well-fought match," said Corban head coach Kim McLain. "Our ball control struggled early, but we were able to come together and play as a team. I was proud of how the girls battled relentlessly in set five for the win."
After Corban won the first set comfortably, the Mountaineers bounced back with a pair of set wins themselves, nabbing the 2-1 set lead. Unfazed, the Warriors jumped out to a big lead in set four and held onto the victory to force set five. In the fifth set, Corban won in dramatic fashion, 17-15.
The Warriors swung at a .162 clip on the evening. Corban was able to overcome 35 attacking errors in the critical home triumph.
Amber Parker led the offensive attack for Corban, racking up a match-high 20 kills to go along with 13 digs. On her 20 kills, she had just three errors on a .279 attacking mark. Marandah Boeder also shined bright for the Warriors, tallying 14 kills with a .379 hitting percentage on the night.
Madison Milligan and Cierra Leopoldino combined for 58 assists between the two, with Milligan notching 33 and Leopoldino 25.
Defensively, Lauren Condon tallied 26 digs in the triumph, with Haley Wells adding 23 of her own. At the net, Demi Winters led the way with three block-assists, with Alaina Gentili and Amber Parking adding a pair of their own, respectively.
For Eastern Oregon, the Mountaineers were held to a .184 attacking mark as a team, with Megan Bunn totaling a team-high 20 kills. In addition, Madison Pilon recorded 24 assists.
Corban (19-7, 14-3 CCC) is back in action tomorrow night as the Warriors host No. 13-ranked College of Idaho in the final home match of the regular season. Corban will honor the eight seniors prior to the start of the match, with first-serve set for 5 p.m. at C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.