SALEM, Ore. – In front of a packed crowd at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, the visiting Northwest University Eagles spoiled the Homecoming celebrations for the Corban University volleyball team, earning a shocking upset victory over the No. 7-ranked Warriors (25-18, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23) on Saturday night.
"Tonight we struggled with unforced errors," said head coach Kim McLain. "We need to improve our level of consistency as we continue through the last half of conference play."
Miscues proved costly to Corban, which hit at a negative attack percentage (-.103) in set one, and was held to a sub-.100 mark in sets two (.059) and four (.093). Overall, Corban tallied 33 attacking errors, the highest total of the year for the squad.
The Eagles made their presence felt at the net, with Abigail Broussard (nine kills, .300 attack percentage), Kylie Szczepanski, and Sarah Howlett (eight kills, .208 attack percentage) each registered six block assists in the triumph. Hannah Lord finished as the team's leading kill-getter, ending the night with 10 (.200 attack percentage).
For the Warriors, Cassie Cunningham (13 kills, .375 attack percentage), Sarena Bartley (11 kills) and Jacquelyn Clark (10 kills, .571 attack percentage) led the way. On the defensive end, Kealani Ontai (12), Maddie Stimmel (10), and Lauren Condon (10) each notched double-figure digs.
Jadyn Mullen (26 assists) and Cierra Leopoldino (14 assists) combined for 40 assists in the defeat.
The Eagles (11-10, 9-6 CCC) currently sit in fourth place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings, with five matches remaining in the regular season.
Corban (14-6, 11-3 CCC) will have an opportunity to rebound next weekend, traveling south for the squad's final road matches of the 2019 regular season. The Warriors will take on Oregon Tech on Friday (October 24), challenging No. 10 Southern Oregon on the following night. First serve for both matches is slated for 7 p.m.