Corban won for the second time this year against Northwest. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – The (RV) Corban University volleyball team made it 2-for-2 on the weekend and 2-for-2 against Northwest University during the 2018 regular season, defeating the Eagles on Saturday evening in four sets (25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20).
"It was a battle tonight," said Corban head coach Kim McLain. "We really struggled with consistency and unforced errors in the first two sets. The team seemed to find their rhythm in the third and fourth sets along with adding some blocking at the net."
Defense was the name of the game for the Warriors on the night, as Corban racked up 81 digs, while the Eagles totaled just 57. In addition, Corban hit at a .201 attacking mark for the evening while forcing Northwest into a .177 hitting mark.
The offense was rolling through Corban's two-setter system, as Jadyn Mullen dished out a team-best 31 assists, while Cierra Leopoldino tallied 22 assists for the Warriors in the victory.
Offensively, Avari Ridgway recorded a team-leading 15 kills, while Cassie Cunningham and Tori Edwards both chipped in 12. Individually on the defensive end of things, Madison Pfaff tallied a team-best 20 digs, while Kealani Ontai notched 17 and Lauren Condon recorded 16.
It was a back-and-forth first set for Corban, but the Warriors made a key sub late in the stanza with the score tied at 23-23, putting Condon in as an outside hitter. The move proved to be brilliant, as Condon smashed two-straight kills to seal the set win for the Navy and Gold.
The Eagles responded with a set-two victory, but Corban then closed out the match strong with two-straight five-point set triumphs for the match win.
For Northwest (13-10, 9-5 CCC) in the loss, Courteney Carr dished out a match-high 32 assists, while Christina Hegarty totaled 22 digs.
Corban (14-8, 10-3 CCC) returns to the court on Wednesday evening when it travels south to take on Northwest Christian University. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.