SIOUX CITY, Iowa – History was made today in the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, as the No. 4 Corban University Women’s Volleyball team (32-4) advanced to the Semifinals of the NAIA National Tournament with a three-set sweep of the No. 13 Park University Pirates (29-6) in the Quarterfinal round, 25-22, 25-16, and 25-18.
“We came in with the same mentality we’ve had over the past two games here in Iowa, and the team showed how much of an impact that can have on the court! They knew going into it what it meant to face this Park team, and they came ready to play,” Warriors’ Head Coach Kim McLain said following her team’s fourth-straight NAIA National Tournament sweep.
“Our blocking has been phenomenal since the conference tournament, and I’m proud of how the team has come together to keep this incredible postseason run alive!” McLain continued.
Facing the Pirates for the fourth time in the NAIA National Tournament in the two programs’ history, the Warriors were looking to break an 0-3 record against Park with their first-ever Quarterfinals matchup. Previously, Corban had won just a single set against Park, with their first-ever matchup going four sets and then back-to-back three-set sweeps sent the Warriors packing in 2017 and 2019.
Park had upset No. 4 Concordia University (Neb.) yesterday to advance to the Quarterfinal round, besting the Bulldogs in four sets to pull off one of the biggest upsets thus far of the 2022 NAIA Tournament. The Pirates find success through all areas of the court, but mainly through their unconventional defense in the backcourt that keeps the ball from hitting the ground.
Corban found some difficulty in the opening set with the Pirates’ aforementioned defensive protocol, as well as their offense, as they quickly fell behind 6-3 and struggled to keep pace with Park until midway through the set. A 6-1 run highlighted by a service ace from sophomore outside hitter Rylee Troutman quickly changed that, as the Warriors came back to tie this set at 15-all.
Park continued to layer on the offense, stretching their lead out to a 20-18 margin before the Warriors called timeout to slow momentum. Just like in their first set against No. 13 Taylor yesterday, a perfectly placed timeout is all the momentum that Corban needed to close the set on a 7-2 run, including four-straight points and a kill from Troutman to solidify the comeback in the set.
Despite controlling the pace of play to begin the second set, the Pirates called timeout in a 10-10 tie, which could have slowed the momentum too much, as Corban quickly took advantage to 10 of the next 13 points and hold a steady 20-13 lead. Rather than calling their second timeout, the Pirates opted to play through the Corban steamroll, as the Warriors would easily take the set 25-16.
That energy from Corban would continue into the third set, where the Warriors’ defense once again stepped up today to tie their season-high in blocks with 11 on the afternoon. Freshman opposite hitter Makayla Roginski and sophomore middle blocker Allyson Reid stuffed two blocks in three plays to extend their early run to 7-1 in the set.
Park would put together a 7-1 run of their own to crawl within a single point and would even force three separate ties before the 15-all point.
Despite Park’s efforts, the Warriors’ hunger for a semifinal appearance eventually pulled through, as Corban would end the set on a 10-3 run to clinch their furthest ever run in the NAIA National Tournament.
The Warriors held Park to a lowly .095 attacking percentage on the day, yet again one of their most consistent defensive efforts on the year against a team that has a great history of offense.
Troutman finished her afternoon with 16 kills and 12 digs for her 17th double-double of the year, attacking at a gawdy .342 kill percentage to lead Corban to victory. Ridgway tallied 12 kills and eight digs to solidify the win, while Roginski added seven kills.
Reid combined with senior opposite hitter Ally Schmidt and freshman outside hitter Kylie Davey accounted for 15 of the 20 block assists that Corban managed today, while Ridgway put up a solo block 1-on-1 with one of Park’s strongest attackers.
Senior libero Kealani Ontai tallied a game-high 18 digs, 12 of which came in the first set alone after the Pirates stopped attacking her direction. The setting duo of senior Jadyn Mullen and freshman Abby Guindy locked in and dealt out 18 and 17 assists, respectively.
Not a single Pirate reached double-digit kills tonight, as outside hitter Malania Hensley earned the team-high eight kills on 30 attempts, adding seven digs in the process. Setter Jullia Alvarez dealt out a game-high 22 assists in her team’s final game of the 2022 season, while libero Irene Verdino dug out 13 digs.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to a familiar foe, as the No. 1 Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers (34-2) sit between the Warriors and a trip to the NAIA National Championship Game. Their contest will begin at 5pm CST/3pm PST this upcoming Monday and will be the fourth installment of the Warriors and Mountaineers volleyball rivalry this season.
Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Snapchat l YouTube l Email
Download our App: iOS (iPhone/iPad) l Android