SALEM, Ore. – Just two short years ago, the Corban University Beach Volleyball program competed in their inaugural season amid Covid restrictions, cancellations, and travel restraints. Tomorrow, they begin the 2023 season as the defending National Champions in the NAIA.
"I'm looking forward to seeing our girls compete after last year's success," Corban Head Coach Diana Villalpando shared when asked to highlight her thoughts on this year's expectations. "We will have some big tests this year to see if we have what it takes to make another run at a national title."
Villalpando has quickly trained the Warriors into becoming the undisputed powerhouse of the pacific northwest for NAIA Beach Volleyball, with her ability to bring a national title to the least expected beach volleyball site in the nation; Salem, Oregon in the Willamette Valley, with the closest beach on the pacific coast located over 60 miles away.
Due to the newly found success of the program's short history, Villalpando and the Warriors have encouraged other NAIA schools in the area to pursue the sport, as Southern Oregon University and Northwest University are each expected to kick off their inaugural seasons at the Warrior Tournament on Corban's campus. With the Raiders and Eagles joining the Warriors and Bushnell University Beacons in their quests to grow the sport in the pacific northwest, the Cascade Collegiate Conference now sits just two members away from sponsoring Beach Volleyball as an official varsity sport, gaining access to a conference tournament bid and automatic qualifier spot for the NAIA National Invitational.
The College of Idaho has announced the creation of a Beach Volleyball program as well, set to begin in the 2024 season. This means the job Villalpando set out to accomplish will be just one school shy in a few years' time at the helm of the fastest emerging sport success in Corban Athletics history.
The Warriors will kickstart their defending National Champion season this upcoming weekend on their home courts, as they'll host all three additional CCC partners in the Beacons, Eagles, and Raiders in a round robin style tournament to allow each program to see some much needed playing time before each school will travel for new exposure opportunities.
After hosting Bushnell for a midweek dual match, the Navy and Gold head to Kingsville, Texas to show the southern states what they have to offer, as they'll play a pair of NCAA DIII schools on Friday, February 24th in the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and tournament hosts Texas A&M University-Kingsville, before a highly anticipated pair of duals with two NCAA DI programs, the University of Utah and the University of Louisiana Monroe.
Corban will stay local for the remainder of the regular season, hosting and traveling to local NCAA DI schools (University of Oregon and University of Portland) and participating in CCC tourneys at both Bushnell and SOU.
The most intense matches of the season may end up occurring in their first postseason opportunity, as the Warriors will once again compete in the Cal Pac Conference Tournament as an extended invitation by the league, allowing the Navy and Gold one last opportunity to either earn an automatic bid or prove their worth for an at-large selection to the NAIA National Invitational.
This year's national invite will take place back in Panama City once again, running from April 20th to 22nd at the Panama City Beach near the Russel-Fields Pier. The four conference tournament winners will earn automatic berths, while four more at-large teams will be invited via a selection committee within the NAIA.
To view the team's complete schedule, click HERE.
Villalpando continued her explanation of this year's expectations by stating, "I'm encouraged to see how our three freshman who received significant playing time last year came back faster, stronger and more offensive. We identified as a team what we need to improve upon as a team before they left for summer break, and every single member of this team came back better. This just goes to show how dedicated this team is and how much they love each other."
Senior Avari Ridgway will look to replicate her success from both a Beach Volleyball National Championship opening match victory in the spring of 2022 and an Indoor Volleyball National Runner-Up trophy in the fall of last year, as she will be paired with sophomore Megan Dennis to kick off the 2023 season. Dennis was a member of the fifth and decisive pair in the 2022 National Championship match, earning the service ace that clinched the inaugural NAIA Beach Volleyball Red Banner.
In addition, the sister pairing of juniors Kianna and Cameron Keeling will be working alongside new pairs throughout the year to provide some depth and across the board, as sophomores Jessica McMillian and Maya Blake will step up to pair with the Laguana Beach natives to solidify the Warriors' core pairs.
Senior Jolinn Daviscourt and junior Nicole Bantilan will each continue to see plenty of court time for Corban this spring, as they'll be in line to work alongside multiple new additions to the lineup, ranging from star indoor players to anticipated freshmen debuts.
Click HERE to view the squad's full roster from top to bottom.
When asked to discuss the impact she expects her new additions to have on this year's squad, Villalpando shared, "The strength of our pairs this year is stronger all the way around with the addition of two more indoor player who have experience playing beach, as well as adding two more transfer blockers. Adding these new players with already established defensive pieces is exciting for the program."
In addition to the returners, the Warriors welcomed a plethora of new and recognizable faces to the 2023 squad, starting with indoor volleyball seniors Ally Schmidt and Kealani Ontai. Schmidt will bring an offensive attack to the Corban pairs, while Ontai figures to provide lockdown defense, something Warrior Nation is more than familiar with seeing from her household name.
To cap off the expected newcomers to the team, Warriors fans will want to familiarize themselves with transfer sophomore Aiyana Henderson and freshman Emmi Marks. Henderson will provide the lineup with more offensive approach, while Marks, a Salem native, will look to earn her respect in the NAIA as a standout defensive workhorse.
To learn more about the recent recruits of the 2023 squad, click HERE.
Starting the 2023 season as the No. 1 overall team in the NAIA Coaches' Top 10 Poll, and the glimmer of their 2022 National Championship trophy reflecting in the overcast Oregon sunlight, the Warriors are more than prepared to rewrite their names in the history books this spring.
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