Corban fought until the end against the No. 17-ranked Mountaineers, but the Warriors fell in five sets on Saturday.
SALEM, Ore. – It looked as if the (RV) Corban University volleyball team had yet another thrilling upset in them on Saturday evening, but in the end, the resilient No. 17-ranked Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers finished strong to edge the Warriors in a five-set thriller (21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12). The defeat snaps the Warriors' 23-match home winning streak.
"We knew tonight would be a battle," said head coach Kim McLain. "But in the end, we struggled with passing and just made too many unforced errors."
The majority of the game was a back-and-forth affair between two of the Cascade Collegiate Conference's (CCC) giants over recent years, with neither team decidedly topping the other in any of the match's five sets.
The Warriors struck first in the contest, battling to earn a hard-fought set one victory, much to the enjoyment of the large crowd on hand at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center. Eastern Oregon mounted a strong response, however, showcasing the deadly attacking tandem of Megan Bunn and Hailee Ackerman that has been so vital to the early success of the nationally-ranked Mountaineers.
After Eastern Oregon claimed sets two and three, the Warriors played some of their best volleyball with their backs against the wall, persisting in set four to force a fifth set. Though the deciding set consisted mostly of both teams matching each other point for point, a strong series for Eastern Oregon—which featured a pair of kills and a clutch block—elevated the Mountaineers to the victory in the late moments.
For the Navy and Gold, Demi Winters produced a solid overall performance in the losing effort. The sophomore from Gresham, Ore, racked up 11 kills on a .308 attacking clip, while also collecting three block assists. Another strong force at the net, Jacquelyn Clark also tallied three block assists for the Warriors, while pounding down seven kills on an efficient .500 hitting percentage.
Jadyn Mullen distributed a team-high 34 assists on the evening, while Cierra Leopoldino added 29 of her own. Freshman libero Kealani Ontai was outstanding on the defensive end yet again, notching a match-high 26 digs for the Navy and Gold.
For the Mountaineers (12-4, 7-1 CCC), Bunn (19) and Ackerman (16) finished with a combined 35 kills in the win, with Bunn also leading her team with 20 digs.
Corban (9-7, 5-2 CCC) returns to the hardwood on Friday when it travels south to take on Oregon Tech. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. in Klamath Falls.