SALEM, Ore. – Refusing to go down on their home courts, the No. 1-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team (11-2) proved they can hang with anyone in the Pacific Northwest, taking down the NCAA DI University of Portland Pilots (2-7) in a doubleheader of 3-2 decisions despite dropping head-to-head pair matchups for the first time in over three weeks.

"Today was a fun day of volleyball with two really good teams," Warriors' Head Coach Diana Villalpando explained earlier this evening. "Both teams play very similar volley, which forced them each to be clean and crisp in our games. UP is a physical team with heavy hitters, and it was good to see that we could also fire back."

Villalpando went on to share, "They challenged us to play our best game and I'm proud of the team for coming out with two back-to-back wins, which is a really hard thing to do against a good team."

The Pilots pose a much larger threat on a per-pair basis with the Warriors, as they have plenty of experience up and down the lineup to force the Corban pairs into uncomfortable situations and scenarios that they may not have seen from previous competition thus far this season.

The Navy and Gold were immediately tested in the opening pairs, as Portland and Corban split the twos and fours while also splitting two sets in an exhibition patch, leading to the Warriors first pair loss in nearly two weeks. Dropping the opening pair meant Corban would need to dig deep in the final three pairs if they wanted to earn the victory in the first match.

After Portland easily took the fifth pair, putting the Warriors in a 2-1 deficit, the top pair in senior Avari Ridgway and Megan Dennis, and third pair in sophomore Maya Blake and senior Kealani Ontai, turned up the intensity to take 2-0 decisions and provide the hometown fans with a 3-2 comeback match win.

The second match of the doubleheader was riddled with chess-like moves by either head coach, as they both swapped pairs up and down the order to give try giving themselves an advantage. Despite making changes, the second and fourth pairs split once again, leading to another best-of-three scenario for both squads as they entered the final three matchups of the day.

A new five pair for Corban, senior Jolinn Daviscourt and redshirt sophomore Kalisi Latu, earned a crucial 2-0 sweep to kick off the final three pairs to give the Warriors a 2-1 advantage, right after Ridgway and Dennis sealed an undefeated day at the courts with another 2-0 sweep of Portland's Alina Valenti and Annika Stammberger to clinch their second match against the Division One school.

Although the Pilots managed to win the fourth pair in three sets, the Warriors still took the dual with another 3-2 decision, extending their win streak to six games and improving their record against NCAA DI schools to 3-1 on the year.

The full results from today's matchups can be found below:

Match 1 – Corban 3, University of Portland 2

1. Avari Ridgway/Megan Dennis (CRB) def. Alina Valenti/Annika Stammberger (UP) 24-22, 21-14

2. Kiana Keeling/Cameron Keeling (CRB) def. Noelani Helm/Taylor Helle (UP) 21-12, 21-18

3. Maya Blake/Kealani Ontai (CRB) def. Jayde Harris/Grace Zilbert (UP) 21-10, 21-15

4. Sophie Lee/Elin Larsson (UP) def. Jessica McMillian/Ally Schmidt (CRB) 21-19, 21-14

5. Keilani Mumolo/Charity Bradley (UP) def. Emmi Marks/Tyra Ching (CRB) 21-13, 21-12

6. Michela Strati/Jordan Bardouche (UP) vs. Marlee Jasso/Abby Bond (CRB) no result

Order of finish: Doubles (6,2,4,5,3,1)

Match 2 – Corban 3, University of Portland 2

1. Avari Ridgway/Megan Dennis (CRB) def. Alina Valenti/Annika Stammberger (UP) 21-15, 25-23

2. Noelani Helm/Taylor Helle (UP) def. Kiana Keeling/Cameron Keeling (CRB) 21-17, 21-19

3. Jayde Harris/Grace Zilbert (UP) def. Jessica McMillian/Ally Schmidt (CRB) 21-18, 16-21, 15-11

4. Maya Blake/Kealani Ontai (CRB) def. Sophie Lee/Elin Larsson (UP) 21-17, 21-19

5. Kalisi Latu/Jolinn Daviscourt (CRB) def. Keilani Mumolo/Charity Bradley (UP) 21-17, 21-13

Ext. Michela Strati/Jordan Bardouche (UP) def. Aiyana Henderson/Jade Ilola (CRB) 22-20, 23-21

Order of finish: Doubles (2,6,4,1,5,3)

Corban Beach Volleyball will hit the road this weekend for another tourney with the Cascade Collegiate Conference schools, as they'll play all three (Bushnell University, Southern Oregon University, and Northwest University) in single matchups over the 17th and 18th, hosted at Churchill High School by the Beacons.

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