SALEM, Ore. – Tomorrow marks the launch of Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) competition for the No. 7-ranked Corban University volleyball team.

Last year, the Navy and Gold claimed the CCC Tournament Championship after finishing second in the CCC regular-season standings. Having returned virtually all of its young and talented roster from last season, head coach Kim McLain and company are ready to reach even higher heights this fall.

"The team and I are excited to be headed into the first weekend of conference play," said McLain. "We are so honored to be a part of this rigorous CCC. This conference pushes us, and it is always a battle each weekend. As a coach, I am honored to have a team that is putting in the work both on and off the court as we look forward to a season that will be exciting, but also challenging."

Corban (6-0) is off to a red-hot start to the 2021 fall campaign, having won each of its first six contests. Four of those matches were against teams that were either receiving votes or ranked in the NAIA Coaches' Top-25 Poll at the time, including a series sweep of then-No. 9 Westmont College.

Rylee Troutman has been as good as anyone in the CCC during the non-conference portion of the 2021 fall season, averaging the second most kills per set in the conference (3.90). Defending NAIA All-American Avari Ridgway has turned in the type of exceptional efforts Warrior fans have become accustomed to seeing, averaging 2.95 kills per set through the first six matches of the season.

Veteran Sarena Bartley has been consistent and effective at the net, attacking at an impressive .371 clip. That is the highest mark in the CCC (minimum 10 sets played). Facilitating the offense, Jadyn Mullen (120 assists) and Ciarra Judson (84 assists) have shared the setting duties.

On the defensive end, Allyson Reid has been a constant disruption at the net, recording a team-leading 21 blocks to this point of the season. Decorated libero Kealani Ontai makes her presence felt in every match she competes in, averaging 4.81 digs per set as CCC play begins.

The Warriors aren't the only CCC squad to finish the non-conference campaign unbeaten, as No. 21 Southern Oregon (5-0), (RV) Bushnell University (4-0), and Multnomah (1-0) each enter conference competition unscathed. 

It'll be trial by fire for the Navy and Gold, as the Warriors open up CCC play with a rigorous road trip to face College of Idaho and No. 14 Eastern Oregon (5-3).

Though C of I experienced an uncharacteristically quiet year last spring, Liz Mendiola's squad has long been recognized as a top program in the Northwest, and the J.A. Albertson Activities Center is a notoriously difficult place to win. 

After competing against the Yotes at 7 p.m. tomorrow, the Warriors will then head to La Grande, Ore. for a rematch of the 2020 CCC Tournament Championship. The Mountaineers only lost twice all of last spring, but have already surpassed that total in the 2021 fall regimen. Injuries have plagued the squad early in the season, but EOU is expected to be at full strength ahead of this weekend's highly-anticipated matchup. 

The Warriors' first four battles of the CCC season will take place away from the comforts of the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, with the squad's official home opener slated for September 14 against Interstate-5 rival Bushnell. 

That will precede a must-watch duel with No. 21 SOU in Salem on September 17, part of just three home matches for the Warriors in the month of September. 

The bulk of the Navy and Gold's home docket will take place in October, as Warrior fans will have eight opportunities to see Corban compete on Tim Hills Court. 

The regular season will wrap up on November 6, leading into the CCC Tournament on November 9-13. 

Corban is looking to make a sixth-consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament, which will kick off with the NAIA Opening Round on November 20. 

Fans can follow along with all of this year's home matches via livestream/live stats HERE.