[Box Score] [EOU Recap] [Corban Recap]
CORVALLIS, Ore. – With two of the top teams in the NAIA squaring off for a tournament title, the 2022 CCC Volleyball Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, was bound to have some excitement.
In the third-straight CCC championship match between Eastern Oregon University and Corban University, the top-seeded Mounties came out on top with a 3-2 victory (24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 15-25, 15-12).
Top-ranked EOU improves to 30-2 on the year with its first tournament championship since 2016 and second tournament title overall. Corban drops to 28-4 overall despite putting a valiant effort to try to win its third consecutive tournament championship.
Kara Clayton led the Mounties with 14 kills and nine blocks, while Rylee Troutman finished with a match-high 27 kills and added 16 digs for the Warriors.
It was back-and-forth action from the very first serve with the first set going to extra points. EOU reached set point first, but back-to-back Corban points shifted the momentum toward the Warriors as the Mounties called a timeout.
An attack error from Corban evened things up at 24-24 but Avari Ridgway smacked down a kill to put the Warriors at set point and an EOU error put Corban up 1-0 early in the match.
Corban looked to carry that momentum into the second set and opened the frame with three-straight points, but the Mounties came battling back and built as much as a six-point lead, 18-12, off kills from Sade Williams, Clayton and a Hailey Arritola ace.
Once again EOU reached set point first and despite Corban scoring the next two points, the Mounties closed out the set 25-21 to even the match up 1-1.
EOU put some pressure on Corban after winning the third with a similar 25-21 score and the Warriors rose to the occasion. Corban grabbed the fourth set 25-15 to send the match into a fifth and deciding set.
The Mounties found themselves trailing 7-5 in the fifth but scored four consecutive points to jump in front, 9-7, and force a Warrior timeout. Coming out of the break, Troutman sparked a 4-0 run for Corban with a kill and a solo block to help the Warriors go back in front, 11-9.
This time, EOU called a timeout and scored five-straight points to put the championship within reach, 14-11. Clayton then sealed the deal with a kill off a Hannah Ledgerwood set to lift the Mounties 3-2 over the Warriors.
Both teams have earned their spots in the NAIA National Tournament and will learn their fate for the Opening Round on Monday at 8 a.m. Pacific on the
NAIA YouTube Channel.