SALEM, Ore. – For the first time in the 2024 spring season, not only did the No. 4-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team take to the sand for their first regular season competition this year, but the Pacific Northwest sunshine also dominated in a rare February appearance, as the Warriors handed out a pair of 5-0 sweeps to fellow Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Bushnell University and NCAA DI University of Portland on day one of the Corban Invitational.

"The Lord blessed us with some amazing weather today!" Navy and Gold head coach Dan Stephens shared shortly after his team's head-turning performances. "We really grew as a team and as individuals in our beach skills, but more so in the mental aspect of the game. We had a number of players who had never competed in a beach match until today, so there was some extra adrenaline for sure."

Coach Stephens carried on with his analysis of today's contests by stating, "Our coaching staff is extremely proud of how the team responded to the challenges today, and we are excited to see the continued growth of the program! Thank you to everyone that came out to support us, it was a great crowd! We hope to see you all tomorrow afternoon when we battle a tough Sac State team."

Despite losing eight out of ten starters from their five pairs in the 2023 season due to graduation, the Warriors (2-0) haven't missed a beat in outperforming their competition on the courts, posting their fifth-straight sweep over the Beacons (2-5) and first-ever clean sheet over the Pilots (0-1).

In the top overall pairing, junior Megan Dennis and freshman Emma Bischoff had to battle back from a pair of first-set losses to snag comeback wins in today's matches, beginning with a 21-18 set they dropped to Bushnell's Halle Neumann and Kate Palelek. Dennis and Bischoff fought tooth and nail to clinch a 23-21 second set over the Beacons and solidified their first comeback victory with a 15-10 third set score.

The Pilots' top pair of Annika Stammberger and Sophie Lee were able to replicate a 21-18 first set win over Dennis and Bischoff in the 12pm match, yet the first-year pair found the momentum they needed once again to steal 21-15 and 15-12 set scores and stay perfect on the season.

The only other adversity that the Warriors faced all day came in the fourth pair of Corban versus Bushnell, as freshmen Allyson Reid and Cammie Masanda fumbled a 21-15 first set to Beacons' Sydney Myhre and Laci Jespersen. After falling behind in the second set, the Navy and Gold pairing rallied to take a 23-21 decision, which immediately converted to a dominant 15-6 third set to keep the Warriors out of losing territory.

Three of the Corban pairs all went 4-0 in sets played today, including the second overall duo of junior Jessica McMillian and Danae Stokes. Their closest set of the day ended 21-19, while also handing in a 21-8 set scorecard. The third pairing of sophomore Emmi Marks and redshirt junior Nicole Bantilan also stayed perfect on the day, taking all four of their sets via 21-10, 21-9, 21-16, and 21-19 scores.

Finally, Coach Stephens submitted two different fifth pairs in his program's opening matchups today, with true freshman Jordan Faircloth serving on both alongside redshirt freshman Payton Bazant and freshman Kiley Power. Three-straight set scores of 21-16 as well as a marathon 24-22 advantage in the trio's favor resulted in controlling the pace of play all day long for Corban beach volleyball.

Match 1 – Corban 5, Bushnell 0

1. Megan Dennis/Emma Bischoff (CRB) def. Halle Neumann/Kate Palelek (BU) 18-21, 23-21, 15-10

2. Jessica McMillian/Danae Stokes (CRB) def. Brooke Silvernail/Anessa Stotts (BU) 21-8, 21-19

3. Emmi Marks/Nicole Bantilan (CRB) def. Courtney Isom/Jadeya Hayes (BU) 21-10, 21-9

4. Allyson Reid/Cammie Masanda (CRB) def. Sydney Myhre/Laci Jespersen (BU) 15-21, 23-21, 15-6

5. Payton Bazant/Jordan Faircloth (CRB) def. Roslyn McLellan/Mai Tomlin (BU) 21-16, 21-16

Ext. Sydney Sanford/Marlee Jasso (CRB) def. Reagan Walker/Roslyn McLellan (BU) 21-9, 21-10

Match 2 – Corban 5, Portland 0

1. Megan Dennis/Emma Bischoff (CRB) def. Annika Stammberger/Sophie Lee (UP) 18-21, 21-15, 15-12

2. Jessica McMillian/Danae Stokes (CRB) def. Elin Larsson/Leonie Freytag (UP) 21-13, 21-17

3. Emmi Marks/Nicole Bantilan (CRB) def. Kili Robins/Taylor Helle (UP) 21-16, 21-19

4. Allyson Reid/Cammie Masanda (CRB) def. Valerie Bruk/Elena Bullemer (UP) 21-15, 21-19

5. Kiley Power/Jordan Faircloth (CRB) def. Jordan Bardouche/Lucia Busso (UP) 21-11, 21-17

Ext. Maui Robbins/Michela Strati (UP) def. Erin Scott/Angela Stover (CRB) 24-22, 21-16

The Warriors will return to action tomorrow afternoon in the Corban Invitational finale, as they'll square off with NCAA DI Sacramento State University (1-0) in a battle of the only undefeated teams left in Salem this weekend.

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