SALEM, Ore. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Volleyball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, will take place inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center this weekend, as the top-four squads from across the conference come to the 'City on a Hill' for a chance at the CCC Tournament Title. The No. 8-ranked and top-seeded Corban University volleyball team will see its first action on Friday evening at 7 p.m., hosting fourth-seeded (RV) Bushnell University in the CCC Semifinals.

Tournament Central

"We are very honored and blessed to host this weekend on our home court in front of such great supporting fans," said head coach Kim McLain. "The CCC is a tough conference, always battling, and this prepares our teams for competition on the national stage!"

The Warriors are coming off their second CCC Regular-Season title in program history, compiling a 26-2 overall record in the 2021 campaign, including a 20-2 record in CCC play. No team had ever reached 20 wins in conference competition prior to this season, and the Navy and Gold will look to continue making history this weekend.

McLain—the conference's Head Coach of the Year—will captain a dynamic squad, which features one of the most talented attacking tandems in the NAIA with CCC Player of the Year Avari Ridgway and First-Team All-Conference honoree Rylee Troutman. Corban has the top hitting percentage in the CCC at .274, which is the seventh-best mark in the entire NAIA. The Warriors also have the lowest opponent hitting percentage (.104) and most kills (13.14 K/Set) entering this weekend's action.

Ridgway's career-best .311 hitting percentage is the third best in the CCC, and she ranks sixth in the conference in kills-per-set with 3.32. Meanwhile, Troutman has the third-highest kills-per-set mark in the conference, averaging 3.66 on a .259 attacking mark.

At the net, Second-Team All-CCC honoree Allyson Reid figures to be a key presence on both sides of the ball, entering postseason play with a .311 hitting percentage (tied with Ridgway for the third-best mark in the CCC) and 1.17 blocks-per-set, ranking second in the CCC in stuffs.

Sarena Bartley (1.59 K/Set, .292 attack percentage) and Cora Furman (1.08 K/Set, .311 attack percentage) have been steady and reliable weapons throughout the fall regimen, and rookies Ainslie Ridgway (1.18 K/Set) and Jadah Schmidtke (1.15 K/Set, .500 attack percentage in 14 matches) have seen their roles increase as the season has progressed.

Honorable-Mention All-CCC honoree Jadyn Mullen (6.18 A/Set) and Ciarra Judson (4.42 A/Set) should reprise their roles within the Navy and Gold's two-setter system, and All-Conference Honorable Mention Kealani Ontai (3.59 D/Set) will anchor the defense as the libero.

Meanwhile, (RV) Bushnell (21-6, 16-6 CCC) is led offensively by Shay Coons (3.42 K/Set), Halle Neumann (2.35 K/Set), and Payton Jones (1.83 K/Set), while also boasting the CCC Libero of the Year in Callie Wilkins (4.55 D/Set) and the Setter of the Year in Makenna Northern (10.48 A/Set).

Corban and Bushnell split the season series, with each team triumphing on its home court this fall.

No. 12 Eastern Oregon will match up with No. 25 Oregon Tech in the other CCC Semifinal bout on Friday (3:30 p.m.), setting up an NAIA Top-25 clash for a spot in the CCC Tournament Championship.

The Mountaineers rely heavily upon First-Team All-CCC honorees Cambree Scott (team-high 2.74 K/Set, .294 attack percentage, CCC-best 1.3 Blk/Set), Breanna Shaffer (2.56 K/Set), and Sade Williams (2.41 K/Set). Jet Taylor is another significant force on both sides of the net, averaging just under a block-per-set (0.99) and 1.64 kills-per-set. Alexis McMurtrey figures to handle the bulk of the offensive facilitating for EOU, and Hailey Arritola has served as the squad's libero throughout the season.

For OIT, First-Team All-CCC award-winners Faith Houck-Wylie (249 kills, team-high 50 block assists) and Nicole Reyes (2.88 K/Set) are key players to watch this weekend. Defensively, Owl libero Aubrey Kievit (4.29 D/Set) is among the best in the CCC. Courtney Isom has been Tech's primary setter throughout the season, entering postseason play with an average of 6.36 assists per set.

Eastern Oregon and Oregon Tech traded four-set road victories during their two regular-season meetings. Meanwhile, Corban swept the season series with both the Mounties and the Owls.

Live stats/video will be available for all of this weekend's matches HERE.