SALEM, Ore. – The No. 7-ranked Corban University volleyball team hosted The Evergreen State College on Friday afternoon, downing the Geoducks in straight sets (27-25, 25-19, 25-22) in the squad's first home match since September 21.
Talking about the triumph, head coach Kim McLain stated: "Tonight we struggled with consistency throughout the match, yet I am very proud of the team fighting for the win."
Evergreen—which took the Warriors to five-sets in the two teams' matchup on September 14—continued to display its persistence and resilience, coming just a point away from taking set one at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
Down 25-24 in the first game, Corban rattled off three-straight points to earn a thrilling comeback win. Though the Warriors led by as many as eight (18-10) in set two, an 8-2 run from the Geoducks pulled the deficit to just two (20-18), making set two another tightly-contested affair.
In the end, the Warriors were able to make late runs in both sets two and three, notching 25-19 and 25-22 triumphs to complete the sweep.
Avari Ridgway finished with a game-high 13 kills in the triumph, attacking at a .200 clip.
In a career night, Jacquelyn Clark finished with 12 kills while hitting at an incredible .563 mark.
Defensively, Corban's Kealani Ontai and Evergreen's Nicole Duryea led their respective teams with a match-high 11 digs. Corban's talented trio of setters—Jadyn Mullen (16 assists), Cierra Leopoldino (12 assists), and Ciarra Judson (9 assists)—combined for 37 assists on the evening.
Evergreen moves to 10-13 (8-6 CCC) on the season, while the Warriors improve to 14-5 (11-2 CCC).
Corban will return to the court tomorrow night for a homecoming feature match with Northwest University. The battle will be in the center of a full day of activities on Corban's campus, with first-serve slated for 7 p.m.