Lady Wolves Battle But Come Up Short Against Warriors
Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director
College Place, Wash. –The #16 Warriors of Corban University (12-6, 7-2) ended their three-game I-84 road trip in College Place today to face the Lady Wolves. Walla Walla (1-12, 0-8) fought hard again the highly ranked Warriors but were unable to break through against the Warriors as they lost in straight sets 3-0.
The Numbers
- Lauren Barlow was the Wolves leader in kills with 9
- Alaina Gentili had 16 kills and 7 total blocks for Corban
- Nilah Mata'afa's 16 digs led all players
- Corban's had two players go over 20 assists today, Ciera Leopoldino had 23 and Madison Milligan finished with 25
How it Happened
From the get-go it looked like it would be a battle. Walla Walla came in with a ton of energy, a massive kill from Sarah Halversen early in the set seemed to lift the Wolves even higher. The Wolves battled their way to a 8-6 lead. Corban charged right back and tied up the set at 9-9. Scoring went back and forth for several points but the Warriors got out to a 14-12 lead, forcing a Walla Walla timeout. Corban slowly built their lead behind consistent play at the net. Walla Walla had several big plays including a huge kill from Caldora Blackburn on the left side but failed to fully grasp the momentum from the Warriors. A kill from Lauren Condon of Corban put the Warriors up 21-16 and forced another timeout from Walla Walla. Alaina Gentili and Amber Parker sent a Wolves attack back with a double block to take the opening set 25-18.
Tied 3-3 in the second set, a kill in the middle from Marandah Boeder put the Warriors up by one. Walla Walla and Corban both fought hard but the Lady Wolves were not able to convert effort into points. Corban's Bethany Filipenko put the ball down hard at the net after a long rally to extend their lead to 7-4. Despite several opportunities not going the Wolves way, they refused to give in, getting the score within a point 12-11 off a service error. But Corban answered back with a 4-1 run topped off with a kill from Filipenko as they jumped out to a 16-12 lead. Corban was in full control the rest of the way and a Filipenko kill give the Warriors a 25-14 win over the Lady Wolves to go up 2-0.
The Warriors jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the third set before Lauren Barlow made her presence felt with a six-pack down the left sideline to put Walla Walla within one. Corban stayed ahead through the early part of the match, but the Wolves continued to grind for points. With Lauren Bosler serving, the Wolves went on a 5-1 run, going ahead 10-9. Corban answered and took back the lead 11-10. Walla Walla freshmen Eric Dudar and Titi Graham scored back-to-back points as the Wolves went on a 3-0 run of their own to take back the lead. Slowly but surely, Corban worked their way back into the match and a kill by Alaina Gentili tied up the set 16-16. Scoring bounced back and forth between the two teams and they found themselves tied up 20-20 before an error by Walla Walla put Corban up 21-20. The Lady Wolves bounced back with a block from Walla Walla’s Morgan Doyle and Erika Dudar that tied the match at 23-23. An error by the Wolves put Corban up, and with the match on the line, Amber Parker sent a kill hard over the net for the final point as the Warriors took the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Up Next
The Lady Wolves host Eastern Oregon University Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.