September 30, 2006

BOX SCORE - CORBAN 3, WARNER PACIFIC 2

Senior Nina Clanton (pictured left) and sophomore Jessica McGraw (pictured right) combined for 13 of Corban's 25 blocks, as the Warriors defeated Warner Pacific in a thrilling five-game match. (Photo courtesy of Corban's J-lab photographers)

SALEM, Ore. – Senior Nina Clanton (Hillsboro, Ore.) recorded a team-high 19 kills, as Corban's women's volleyball team pushed its winning streak to three matches thanks to a five-game victory (23-30, 30-23, 28-30, 30-28, 15-13) over the Knights of Warner Pacific on Saturday.

In the opening game, Corban fell victim to four less service aces and three more attack errors than Warner Pacific en route to Knights taking the game by 7 points (30-23). Warner Pacific's Amy Rispler led all players with 6 kills, while Corban sophomore Chelsea Reeher (Powell Butte, Ore.) provided four kills for the host squad. Trailing by a point (9-8), Corban watched as Warner Pacific stretched the lead out to 5 (13-8) and never looked back. Both teams traded runs over the final points, but the Knights had the advantage in rally scoring and ended up coming out on top.

In Game #2, the Warriors turned things around thanks to a hitting percentage of .244 (18-7-45). Clanton led all players with 7 kills, while Reeher added 5 and the Warriors knotted the match at one game apiece thanks to an identical 7 point win (30-23). Behind by a single point (10-9), Corban put together three seperate runs of four unanswered points to take a 6 point lead (20-14). The visiting Knights attempted to come back, but could not overcome a pair of kills by Clanton and sophomore Jessica McGraw (Gaston, Ore.), as well as a kill by junior Ashley Lange (Salem, Ore.) down the stretch.

In the third and middle game, neither team came out firing on all cylinders. Warner Pacific hit .122 (17-11-49) and Corban recorded a hitting percentage of .024 (9-8-41), but the Knights were able to do just a little bit more offensively to grab the narrow 2-point victory (30-28). The Knights' Michelle Allen and Ann-Erica Whitemarsh led all players with 5 kills each, while Clanton added another 4 for the Warriors. The Warriors trailed by 5 points (28-23) before eighteen-year head coach Tracy Smith called a timeout to re-group her team. Out of the timeout, the Warriors scored five straight points behind the serving of senior libero Becky Horn (Troutdale, Ore.) and knotted the game at 28-all. Back-to-back attack errors by the Warriors handed the middle game to the Knights.

In Game #4, senior Hallie Hofferd (Bend, Ore.) led a Warrior comeback with a team-high 5 kills, while Clanton added 4 and three other Warriors chipped in with a pair each to tie the match at 2 games apiece thanks to the 2-point win (30-28). Trailing 23-17, Corban grabbed onto the serving arm of Clanton, who single-handedly brought the Warriors back into the fourth game and never left the line until the score was knotted at 23-all. With the score knotted at 27-all following seperate runs by each team, the Warriors scored two straight points on kills by Clanton and Reeher before Clanton ended the game on a kill to tie the match and send it to a fifth and deciding game.

In the fifth and final game, Corban found themselves down 6-4 and 11-5 before rallying back thanks to seven straight points off Clanton serves to take a 12-11 advantage. After a pair of Warrior service errors that book-ended another Hofferd kill, Reeher put Corban up 14-13 thanks to her 13th kill of the match. McGraw ended the match when she blocked the Knights' Allen for her 7th block (1 solo, 6 assist) of the contest to give the host Warriors their first five-game win in over two seasons.

Along with Clanton's team-high in kills, Hofferd and Reeher added 14 and 13 respectively, while freshman setter Amy Thompson (Oregon City, Ore.) registered her second career double-double with a team-high 30 assists and 13 digs. Defensively, Horn provided a match-high 40 digs, while McGraw and Hofferd registered 17 digs each. As a team, the Warriors registered 112 digs with junior Caylin Goss (La Grande, Ore.) and Clanton adding to the cause with 8 apiece.

Warner Pacific was led by Allen's match-high 21 kills, while Whitemarsh and Rispler added 14 and 12 kills respectively. Tara Andrews guided the Knights' offense with a match-high 51 assists, while Kayli Anderson and Allen provided the defense with 29 and 25 digs respectively. Five Warner Pacific players were in double figures in digs, as the team recorded 104.

Corban is now 5-11 overall, 2-7 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Warner Pacific drops to 6-6 overall, 4-4 in CCC action. The Warriors will return to action on Friday, October 6th, when they travel to the Apple State to take on the Eagles of Northwest beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Kirkland, Washington.