SALEM, Ore. – Sixth-ranked Corban held off Northwest in three tough sets, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20, on Saturday.
 
NU posted a respectable 36 kills but Corban posted nine blocks and a healthy .300 hitting percentage to stave off the upset.
 
"Tonight's match was a reminder of how much we have grown and also how much farther we need to go," said NU Head Coach Steven Bain. "Corban is a top-ranked team for a reason and their offense in serve-receive and transition put pressure on us to score on tough swings and we couldn't get over the hump. Very pleased though with the effort and I know that we will learn from the opportunity to play a quality opponent."
 
Delaney Sparks led the NU attack with 10 kills and Karste Wright tacked on nine. Sparks had a nice 368 attack percentage. Anna Saelens had 28 assists. Abigail Broussard and Kelsey Moore had two aces each.
 
Sparks and Broussard shared two blocks each and Moore led the back line with 16 digs.
 
The loss sends the Eagles to 8-9 overall and 4-5 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
 
NU will finish off the first half of the conference season next weekend, hosting No. 2 Eastern Oregon on Friday and College of Idaho on Saturday in a pair of 7 p.m. matches.