SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Corban University Women’s Volleyball team (33-5) made history today by competing in the program’s first ever NAIA National Championship match, becoming the first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) school to appear in the final game of the season since 1987. Despite taking a 2-1 set lead, the No. 2 University of Jamestown Jimmies (37-2) were able to fight their way back into taking home the Red Banner in a five-set heartstopper over the Warriors, 21-25, 25-21, 27-25, 22-25, and 13-15.
“I am extremely proud of this group of young ladies!” Warriors’ Head Coach Kim McLain said following her team’s first ever National Championship match appearance. “Their passion for the game, fight and grit, as well as playing for one another was huge throughout this tournament! This group has set the bar high for future teams not only on the court, but the culture they have created in this program.”
McLain went on to share, “I can’t say enough about our senior leadership and what they have brought to the team! They have accomplished what no other group has done and will leave a lasting impact on the program. I also want to thank my coaching staff for all the countless hours of giving to the program. I am blessed and honored to have had coached this extremely talented team!”
The Warriors and Jimmies put together one of the most intense and exciting championship matches in recent history, one that will surely go down in the history books as an instant classic and remembered for years to come.
Jamestown and Corban were both locked in a fight to the finish line from the very first set, as a kill from senior outside hitter Avari Ridgway tied the game at 8-8 before the Jimmies went on a 6-1 run that would prove existential to their early success.
The Warriors were able to keep it closer down the stretch, reaching as close as a two-point deficit at 22-20 before Jamestown finished the job they started early in the set. Back-to-back kills and a service error from Corban gave the Jimmies the 1-0 set lead.
This isn’t the first time Corban has seen a deficit like this before in this tournament, as they had dropped the opening set to No. 1 Eastern Oregon yesterday before busting out a three-straight set wins over the Mounties. Additionally, the opening set has never been the Warriors’ strongest set, as a majority of their incredible 2022 statistics improved set-by-set as the match develops.
The same can be said for sets number two and three of this championship match, as the Warriors flipped the script on the Jimmies in the same fashion they did to kickstart the contest. A back-and-forth rally between Corban and Jamestown was ended this time by a 7-2 run in favor of the Warriors, putting them comfortably in the driver’s seat of a 20-14 advantage.
The Jimmies made things interesting down the stretch, posting two different three-point runs to pull within a point, but a perfectly called timeout from McLain slowed the momentum of Jamestown enough for Corban to score three-straight points of their own, highlighted by a match-tying kill from sophomore outside hitter Rylee Troutman.
The third set, discussed as the most pivotal set in a volleyball match, was a rollercoaster of emotions for both Jimmie and Warrior fans present and watching on television tonight, as both teams forced set point on each other on multiple occasions. This time however, neither team could hold a solid lead for more than a few runs, as the lead flipped six times and there were five ties as the intense set developed.
While Corban jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead, Jamestown rallied to force an 11-all tie before the Warriors scored another 7-1 run to stretch the back to six-points, with the Jimmies calling their second timeout of the contest in an 18-12 hole.
Jamestown hung around for a bit, but when Corban scored point number 24 on a kill from Troutman, everyone in the Tyson Events Center thought the Warriors were about to jump out to a 2-1 set lead. However, the Jimmies had other thoughts on the direction of this set, as they rallied off four-straight points to flip set point onto the Warriors, now leading 25-24.
Resiliency was key for Corban down the stretch, as they exited their final timeout of the set to score kills from sophomore middle blocker Allyson Reid and freshman opposite hitter Makayla Roginski and clinched the set on a net-dropping service ace from senior libero Kealani Ontai.
Now down to a 2-1 set deficit, the No. 2 Jimmies had their backs against the wall and needed a set win to force a pivotal fifth set. Their fourth set win did not come easily, as a three-point Warrior lead at 10-7 was the largest lead of the set until Corban called their final timeout of the set with the Jimmies in front 21-17.
Corban was able to tie the set at 22-22 out of the timeout, just three points away from a National Championship trophy, but the Jimmies scored the next three points instead on a kill from outside hitter Anna Holen and back-to-back blocking plays from the Jamestown’s defense.
To nobody’s surprise, the final NAIA volleyball match of the 2022 season took five sets to crown a champion, and in just as dramatic fashion as the previous four sets had provided. The Jimmies won the slim race to the side-swapping eighth point, leading 8-6 over the Warriors with half of the set still to be played.
As Jamestown roared to a 13-9 advantage, all seemed lost for Corban, as their attacks were consistently defended well at the net by the towering Jamestown student-athletes. However, the Warriors had one final trick up their sleeves, as Ontai continued her impressive serving performance to put Corban in the position they needed to score back-to-back kills from Reid and Ridgway, followed by a stuff at the net from Roginski and senior opposite hitter Ally Schmidt.
Despite a kill from Holen, the Warriors scored again on a kill from Ridgway to have everyone on the edge of their seats in a 14-13 Jimmie lead, with freshman setter Abby Guindy checking in to serve for Corban.
After a no-call net violation on the service reception, Jamestown was able to stuff Ridgway at the net, finally clinching the match point they needed for the first ever NAIA National Championship Banner in Jamestown Athletics history.
While the Warriors dominated at the service line (nine aces to Jamestown’s one), their play at the net wasn’t the best of their season, attacking at just a .164 kill percentage and getting out-blocked 14-9 by Jamestown. The Jimmies also scored four more kills than the Warriors and recorded three more assists and digs.
Troutman turned in one of the most impressive scoresheets of her young career tonight, totaling 21 kills, a career-high 33 digs in the backcourt, and almost half of the Warriors’ service aces (4), proving once again why she was the 2022 CCC Player of the Year and holds a strong contention to receive this season’s NAIA National Player of the Year award.
Ridgway ends her historic collegiate career with 16 kills and a career-high 24 digs to partner with Troutman at the net and in the backcourt for Corban, finishing her career with 1,632 kills for second on the career kills leaderboard at Corban. She also added a service ace, three assisted blocks and a solo block to finish third in all-time blocks with 309.
Roginski turned in her best performance of the tournament, slicing 15 kills from the opposite side with only three errors for a .333 attacking percentage. As a freshman starter, Roginski added five block assists tonight and will bring back incredible experience and knowledge for at least three more seasons in the Corban-etched long sleeve jerseys.
Ontai’s incredible career in the Navy and Gold as the lockdown defender in the backcourt ends with a 35-dig performance, which sets multiple records and awards for the Pearl City, Hawaii native. Her 35 digs tonight sets a season-high record for herself, ties her career-high for a single game, gives her the third overall spot in single-season digs with 592 this year, and further cements her school record career digs count at 2,481, an incredible record that leads the second place spot by over 800 digs, and will surely go unbroken for decades to come.
Senior setter Jadyn Mullen’s final match of her illustrious career at Corban ends with 33 assists, which was just enough for the 5’8 senior to jump to second all-time in career assists with 3,356 in five incredible seasons. She also sits firmly at second in all-time service aces at 198, just six aces shy of the school record.
Holen finished with an impressive stat line of 23 kills and 35 digs to earn the NAIA Tournament Most Valuable Player Award, while her sister and libero for the Jimmies, Ellie Holen, recorded a game-high 44 digs to earn NAIA Defensive Player of the Tournament.
Troutman was named the NAIA Attacker of the Tournament for her incredible offensive performances over this past week, putting together an incredible 81 kills in just 18 sets to average 4.5 kills per set. She also added 75 digs in the backcourt to showcase her all-around talent on the Warriors’ 2022 squad.
Both Ridgway and Roginski were named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team alongside Troutman, as Ridgway tallied 64 kills, 77 digs and 15 blocks, while Roginski added 44 kills with only 15 errors for a .271 attacking percentage over the course of their incredible run.
The Corban Women’s Volleyball team ends their historic season as the 2022 National Runner-Ups, a.k.a. the No. 2 team in the NAIA, a top five offense in the nation, countless All-Conference and All-Academic award winners, celebrated multiple wins over the No. 1 overall team, road four-straight sweeps into the semifinals of the NAIA National Tournament, and will surely see NAIA All-American award winners in the coming weeks. They will surely be back in Sioux City again, ready to break boundaries once again.
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