Corban Volleyball Books Ticket to NAIA Final 16 with Five-Set Triumph over IWU

11/29/2017 5:34:00 PM

Danny Day, Director of Athletic Communications

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – For the second-consecutive year, the No. 10-ranked Corban University volleyball team is headed to the NAIA Volleyball Championship Final 16, and on Wednesday, it turned out to be a five-set thriller (20-25, 25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 15-8) against Indiana Wesleyan University that clinched the Warriors' spot in the bracket play. Corban and Park University (Mo.) will play each other on Thursday to decide who will be the No. 1 seed and who will be the No. 2 seed from the pool.

"It was great to get another win under our belt," said Corban head coach Kim McLain. "We started the match struggling with our passing which dictated our offense. As our passes improved, so did our offense. I was proud of the girls and how they came together in set five for the win! We have to come out ready to play each match moving forward!"

Five of Corban's last six matches have gone to five sets, and the Warriors have won all five of those five-set matches. On the year, Corban now owns a 9-2 record in five-set matches, having won each of its last nine five-set matches.

The Warriors, knowing that a win would take them to the Final 16 for the second year in a row, got off to a bit of a rough start, dropping the first set by five points. The second set, however, went in Corban's favor (25-22), finished off by a big kill from Marandah Boeder.

In the third stanza, the Warriors pushed ahead and then held on for the two-point set win to take a 2-1 lead for the match. Indiana Wesleyan, however, proved resilient, bouncing back to take the fourth set by six points. In the fifth and deciding set, Corban showed why it is the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season and tournament champion, claiming the 15-8 triumph, booking its ticket to the elimination round of the NAIA National Championships.

For Indiana Wesleyan, it marked the squad's second-straight five-set defeat in the national tournament, as on Tuesday, IWU lost in five sets against No. 7 Park (Mo.).

For the Warriors, Alaina Gentili led the way offensively with 14 kills while hitting at a .300 clip, while Amber Parker provided 13 kills for the Warriors to go along with 20 digs. In addition, Boeder proved vital for the Navy and Gold with 11 kills, and Adriana Aguayo totaled 10 kills for the Warriors in the win.

CLICK HERE to watch post-match interview with Gentili.
CLICK HERE to watch post-match interview with Parker.

Madison Milligan dished out 29 assists, while Cierra Leopoldino notched 26 assists in her second-ever match in Sioux City. Defensively, Haley Wells shined once again with 25 digs, while Lauren Condon tallied 13 digs and Milligan chipped in 12 digs. At the net, the Warriors totaled 12 blocks as a team, with Boeder leading the way with six and Gentili with five.

Corban (26-7) will now take on Park (Mo.) at 2 p.m. PST on Thursday, with the winner earning the No. 1 seed in the pool and the loser earning the No. 2 seed. Both teams will advance to the Final 16 regardless of Thursday's result. The Pirates enter Thursday's contest with a 31-3 overall record. Live stats/live video for the match will be available here.