2019 CCC Volleyball Championship Tournament Semifinal Preview
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Four teams remain in the 2019 Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship Volleyball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, vying for the trophy and an automatic trip to the NAIA Championships.
Top-seeded Southern Oregon University hosts the final two rounds, with the semifinal matchups going down Friday. The Raiders already have a trip to the NAIA tournament, but the second berth is up for grabs to the tournament champion. If SOU is in the championship, its opponent will receive the other automatic qualifier.
The No. 7-ranked Raiders take on fifth-seeded Northwest Christian University at 7 p.m. after the Beacons upset fourth-seeded College of Idaho 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-20) on Tuesday.
SOU has CCC Player of the Year Taylor Ristvedt leading the charge as it looks to repeat as tournament champions, but the Raiders have to go through a solid NCU squad. SOU comes into the postseason riding a 12-match win streak, only surrendering three losses on the year. The Raiders swept both matches against NCU 3-0 and will look to do it a third time.
The Beacons are in the midst of a record-setting season, boasting 20 wins – the most in program history. As a team, NCU boasts a 2.05 blocks per set average, which ranks in the NAIA’s top-50, sitting at No. 43. The Beacons are also dangerous from the service line, averaging 1.62 aces per set to also sit 43rd in the NAIA as a team.
Earlier in the day, second-seeded Eastern Oregon University and third-seeded Corban University will battle it out at 3:30 p.m.
The No. 4-ranked Mountaineers shared a piece of the regular-season CCC Championship with SOU, but will look to win the tournament title outright. EOU is on a three-match winning streak, with CCC Libero of the Year Kiley McMurtrey playing an important part in the Mounties’ success.
No. 14-ranked Corban comes off a 3-1 (9-25, 25-16, 26-24, 25-21) victory over six-seed Northwest University. Jacquelyn Clark was the Warriors' catalyst, serving as the go-to in big moments. The standout middle blocker picked up nine kills on a strong .444 attacking clip.
The two teams split the regular-season series, with each team winning on its home court. Corban got the first win on the year with a 3-1 victory (20-25, 27-25, 25-21, 25-23), while EOU took the second matchup 3-2 (16-25, 24-26, 25-11, 25-16, 15-6). With the way the regular-season matches went, this semifinal is bound to have some excitement.
Fans can follow the action with live stats and live video ($7.95 per game pay-per-view) available through the CCC
Stretch Internet Portal.