SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 14-ranked Corban University volleyball team began its pool play regiment at the NAIA National Championships on a high note, defeating No. 18 Lawrence Tech in four sets (25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23) on Tuesday evening.
"I am proud of the way we came out ready to play," said head coach Kim McLain. "We knew we had to serve tough to get Lawrence Tech out of their offense. We were tested in the third set, but we responded well in the fourth set to finish the match."
As a team, the Blue Devils entered today's match boasting the ninth-best kill tally of the 2019 season, but the Warriors managed to stifle Lawrence Tech's offense early.
Limiting their opponent to hitting percentages of just .095 in set one and .068 in set two, the Warriors claimed the first two sets with relative ease.
Refusing to surrender quietly, the Blue Devils responded with a triumph in the third game (25-20) to extend the match, while also jumping out to an early advantage over the Navy and Gold in set four.
Resilient, Corban battled back from a six-point deficit in set four to seal the triumph, capped off by an 11-5 run in the game's final 16 points.
The Warriors executed their game plan marvelously, earning seven service aces in the match to Lawrence Tech's two.
Adriana Aguayo continues to look more and more at home on the attack, notching a team-leading 12 kills (.212 attack percentage) in the victory. Also finishing in double-digits was Cassie Cunningham, who racked up 11 putaways on an even .200 clip.
Sarena Bartley was efficient and dangerous in the win, registering seven kills while hitting at a game-best .316 mark.
Four Warriors finished with double-digit dig totals on the evening, a crucial part of the squad's ability to shut down the Blue Devil offense. Kealani Ontai led the group with 22 digs, while Lauren Condon (19), Makenna Campbell (16), and Jadyn Mullen (13) each sparkled on the defensive end, as well.
Showing no signs of nerves in her first national tournament, Ciarra Judson compiled a team-leading 27 assists, while Jadyn Mullen added 15 of her own.
Zakia Hunt and Varvara Gromakova led the Blue Devil attack, tying for the team-lead with 12 kills. For Hunt—who serves as the primary offensive playmaker for Lawrence Tech—it's the first time in 2019 that the standout attacker has been held to a sub-.100 attack percentage.
In the other Pool B matchup at the national tournament, No. 1-seeded Northwestern earned a dominating three-set sweep over fourth-seeded Martin Methodist.
It'll be Corban's (21-8) turn to face Martin Methodist tomorrow evening, as the Warriors and RedHawks will square off at 8 p.m. CST at the Tyson Events Center.