Corban won in straight sets on Friday, downing the Geoducks in Salem. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – After a five-set nail-biter in the squad's last match, the Corban University volleyball team got straight to business on Friday night, pummeling The Evergreen State College Geoducks in straight-sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-16).
"Our defense was key tonight," said head coach Kim McLain. "We knew Evergreen was going to be a tough opponent and we had to be aggressive at the net and relentless on defense."
The match never felt far from the Warriors' hands, with Corban utilizing a balanced attack and persistent defense to apply consistent pressure to the Geoducks. Ten Warriors collected at least one kill on the evening, with five (Avari Ridgway, Adriana Aguayo, Jacquelyn Clark, Demi Winters, and Cassie Cunningham) tallying at least six put always for the Navy and Gold.
Clark and Winters were particularly impressive in the triumph, with Clark notching seven kills and four block assists, and Winters attacking at a ridiculous .636 clip while adding seven kills of her own.
Cierra Leopoldino dished out a team-best 22 kills in the triumph, serving as the main distributor for the Navy and Gold's offensive barrage. Her fellow Kamehameha Kapalama High School product Kealani Ontai was outstanding yet again on the defensive end for the Warriors, finishing with a game-high 13 digs.
One of the keys to the Corban's success was limiting the Geoducks offensive playmakers, as the Warrior defense was able to hold reigning First-Team All-Conference honoree Natalie Taylor to just eight kills on a .174 attacking percentage. Taylor's eight kills matched teammate Lehualani Keka for the Evergreen team-high on the evening.
Corban (13-8, 9-3 CCC) will be back in action tomorrow night for another key conference matchup against Northwest University (13-9, 9-4 CCC), as the Eagles currently sit just a half a game back of the Warriors in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings. First serve for the match is slated for 5 p.m.