The NAIA's No. 15-ranked College of Idaho extended its winning streak to a league-high 10 straight matches thanks to a tough four-set victory Friday over Corban in Salem.
College of Idaho Gets Past Corban in Four Sets
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – The NAIA's No. 15-ranked College of Idaho got double-digit kills from three players, as the Coyotes went four sets for the second straight year inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center before coming away with the victory over Corban, 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 25-14), Friday evening.
With the win, The College of Idaho extends its conference-high winning streak to 10 matches improving to 13-4 overall and a perfect 10-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Corban drops its fifth straight match falling to 3-12 overall and 1-9 in CCC competitions.
C of I's Jessica Peacock led the Coyotes with 16 kills, while Torrey Hulsey and Liz Myers added 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Two-time reigning CCC Setter of the Week Sierra Porter led all players with a match-high 48 assists, while her older sister, Janel, anchored C of I's defense with a match-high tying 16 digs. Myers would lead all players at the net with five blocks (1 solo, 4 assist), while Kylee Nawahine served up a match-high tying two aces for the Coyotes.
Corban was led by two-time All-CCC team member Chandra Teague with a match-high 17 kills and a match-high tying 16 digs, while three Warriors – Claire Bailey, Courtney Mulford, and Kendra Staymates – added six kills each that included a career-high for Staymates. Setter Katherine Salness handed out a team-high 35 assists, while Kiersten Hilt aided Teague defensively with 11 digs to go along with a two-block performance by Bailey.
The first set would belong to Corban over the opening 16 combined points, as the host Warriors built an 11-5 lead on a hitting error by C of I. The College of Idaho would not give up so easily, as the Coyotes used a 7-1 run to tie the set at 12-12 thanks to a kill by Hulsey. The two teams would battle back-and-forth over the next 20 combined points until the set was knotted once again at 22-22 on a service ace by C of I's Sofia Anxo. The College of Idaho would score the next two points on a hitting error by Corban and a kill by Hulsey that resulted on a 24-22 lead for the visiting Coyotes. Corban would get within a single point (24-23) on a C of I attack error, but the Coyotes would ride the hot arm of Hulsey as she ended the opening set with her seventh kill for a 25-23 victory.
Set #2 would be a dog-fight over the opening 18 combined points until The College of Idaho broke a 9-9 tie with a 9-1 run that ended with a kill by Myers as the Coyotes held an 18-10 advantage. Corban would get within three points on two seperate occasions (22-19 & 23-20), but C of I was too strong down the stretch as Peacock registered two kills following a 23-20 Coyote lead for the 25-21 victory.
The third set would be another back-and-forth affair over the opening 20 combined points before Corban broke a 10-10 tie with a mini 2-0 run that propelled the Warriors into the lead for good. The College of Idaho would get as close as a single point (19-18) before Corban used a 3-0 run to pull ahead by five points (23-18) on a C of I attack error. The College of Idaho would use a mini 2-0 run to pull within three points (23-20) forcing Corban to call a timeout. Following the break in action, Teague would register two kills en route to leading Corban to the hard-fought 25-21 victory.
Set #4 would belong to The College of Idaho following a 5-5 tie, as the Coyotes used a 12-4 run to gain a 17-9 advantage on a combo block by Myers and Nawahine. After a Corban timeout, C of I continued to apply the pressure extending its lead to 10 points (24-14) before a Warrior service error ended the four-set match (25-14).
For the second straight year, The College of Idaho was taken to four sets in a match against Corban that was played in Oregon's Capital City. Last season, the host Warriors began the match with a victory over The College of Idaho. This year, C of I earned a two-set lead before Corban took Set #3 to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Coyotes.
Both teams will return to action tomorrow – Saturday, October 6th – with Corban hosting the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem and The College of Idaho traveling south to Eugene to take on Northwest Christian. Both matches will begin at 7:00 p.m.