Cavs Defeat Warriors in Four
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. Corban
PORTLAND, Ore.—The Concordia volleyball team beat Corban 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-17, 2515) on Friday to stay tied with Eastern Oregon for third place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
Concordia improved to 11-8 overall and 8-4 in the CCC with the win, while Corban dropped to 3-15 overall and 1-11 in the CCC.
The Cavaliers beat the Warriors on Friday behind an efficient attack that never hit below .233 in any set in the match.
The Cavalier offense started the match hot too, hitting .333 in the first set. In addition, the Cavalier defense stymied the Warriors’ attack, as the Cavaliers had five total blocks in the first set alone.
The Cavaliers’ Jackie Stein led the team early on in the first set, as the freshmen strung three straight points together to put her team up 4-1. The Cavaliers never trailed in the set after that point and steadily stretched their lead out over the rest of the set.
The second set proved to be an entirely different story though, as Corban fired out of the gates, running out to a 13-3 lead. Corban had full control of the second set at that point, but the Cavaliers would creep their way back in it.
After Corban’s Olivia Shropshire converted a kill to make it 14-6 Corban in the second, the Cavaliers won the next five points to cut the Warriors’ lead to 14-11. Mariah Raudsepp spurred the Cavalier run as she had two kills, a solo block and a block assist during the five-point stretch.
Still, Corban fought off the Cavs’ comeback and held onto the lead, something they would do three more times before the set concluded. In fact, the Cavaliers cut the Warriors lead to one at 18-17, 22-21 and 24-23, but could never get over the hump and inch past the Warriors. Instead, at 24-23, a kill from the Warriors’ Chandra Teague gave the set to Corban, leveling the match at one-set apiece.
Now with the match squared, the third set became pivotal, and the Cavaliers responded to the pressure well as they crept out to an early lead. A kill from Katherine Salness brought the Warriors within four at 12-8, but the Cavaliers would jump on the Warriors from there, going on a 9-4 run to take command of the set at 21-12. Melanie Miller and Amanda Goringe punctuated the Cavs’ run as the two of them alternated kills to score the last five points of the run for their team.
Concordia closed out the set from there, and then rode that momentum to an early 15-3 lead at the start of the fourth. The Warriors would never get closer than nine-points down after that, and the Cavaliers closed out the set and the match.
Miller and Raudsepp led the Cavaliers in the fourth set, as both combined for 10 kills on just 15 attempts in the set. Their efficiency also meant a strong set for setter Lindsay Mangan, who finished 15 assists in the fourth set alone.
Overall, Concordia outhit the Warriors .291-to-.113 in the match. The biggest stat of the night came from the Cavaliers’ frontline though, as the Cavaliers’ blockers totaled a season-high 15 blocks against the Warriors.
Raudsepp led the frontline play with two solo blocks and seven block assists in the match. Raudsepp also worked into the attack though, as she tied Miller for second on the team with 13 kills. Raudsepp’s kill total gave her 18.5 points overall for the Cavs on Friday, a season-high for her by four full points.
Besides Raudsepp, Stein led all players with 14 kills, while she also added four block assists and three digs. Miller, meanwhile, had 13 kills in only 24 attacks to finish with a .500 hitting percentage.
On the flip side, Teague led the Warriors in both kills (13) and digs (13) to record a double-double.
At setter, Mangan’s finished with 46 assists in the match, while Corban’s setter, Katherine Salness, had 35 assists of her own.
Both teams return to action tomorrow, Oct. 13, as the Cavaliers host Northwest Christian, while the Warriors head across town to face Warner Pacific. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m.