CHULA VISTA, Calif. – Dropping just three sets all day, two of which came due to a medical forfeit in the second dual this afternoon, the No. 2-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team clocked in a pair of dominant performances against Benedictine University Mesa and RV College of Idaho to the first of four spots in the NAIA West Tournament semifinal round tomorrow afternoon, with the final bracket seeding still waiting to be announced until after the final round of pool play tomorrow morning.

"We were ready to play today, and I saw players doing things we've been working on," shared Corban head coach Dan Stephens earlier this evening. "The competition was tough again, and we were able to watch the teams we may have to play tomorrow. We're in for a tough battle no matter who we draw. It's great to have made the semifinal round, and we will need to play well to move on, but I know our young women are capable and ready for the challenge!"

A busy week of awards and regular season titles didn't keep the Warriors (17-3) from losing focus on their end goal for this week in southern California, as Corban jumped out of the gates from the opening whistle in the morning session to make a statement against the Redhawks (4-10). Every pair ended in clean 2-0 set wins, with just one pair having an elongated 24-22 set result and every other score ending with Benedictine at 17 or fewer points. The most commanding pair win belonged to junior Megan Dennis and freshman Emma Bischoff in the top over duo, who snagged 21-11 and 21-8 set scores against their Redhawk opponents.

In their fourth matchup with the Yotes (6-9) thus far this season, the Navy and Gold had nearly figured out the formula they needed to sweep C of I for the first time, but an unfortunate collision in the Dennis and Bischoff match resulted in Corban needing to forfeit the pair. Coach Stephens elected to providing his student-athletes the opportunity to rest up before a key matchup tomorrow morning rather than risking a potentially worse injury throughout the rest of the pair. Dennis and Bischoff were up 1-0 in sets and battling in the second before the medical forfeit occurred.

Meanwhile, the second, fourth, and fifth overall pairs for the Warriors handled business once again in straight sets, while sophomore Emmi Marks and freshman Kiley Power were forced into a three-set tiebreaker against Yotes' Lauren Gauna and Brianna Arfmann. Despite losing the momentum after a second set loss of 18-21, Marks and Power bounced back with a convincing 15-7 third set to keep C of I in the four-pair deficit and round of the opening day of NAIA West play for Corban.

No. 2 Corban 5, Benedictine Mesa 0

1. Megan Dennis/Emma Bischoff (CRB) def. Kylie Bartel/Annika Wallace (BEN) 21-11, 21-8

2. Danae Stokes/Jessica McMillian (CRB) def. Megan Hicks/Jewel Carling (BEN) 21-16, 21-14

3. Emmi Marks/Kiley Power (CRB) def. Anna Brytkowska/Haley Lopez (BEN) 21-16, 21-17

4. Allyson Reid/Erin Scott (CRB) def. Hattie Patton/Courtney Ely (BEN) 24-22, 21-17

5. Cammie Masanda/Sydney Sanford def. Sophie Drollinger/Hailey White (BEN) 21-15, 21-17

No. 2 Corban 4, (RV) C of I 1

1. Sydney Dews/Haley McUne (CI) def. Megan Dennis/Emma Bischoff (CRB) 18-21, 21-11, 15-0*

2. Danae Stokes/Jessica McMillian (CRB) def. Liza Montalbo/Emily Vadeburg (CI) 21-10, 21-15

3. Emmi Marks/Kiley Power (CRB) def. Lauren Gauna/Brianna Arfmann (CI) 21-13, 18-21, 15-7

4. Allyson Reid/Erin Scott (CRB) def. Greta Valaika/Althea Sandoval (CI) 21-18, 21-9

5. Cammie Masanda/Sydney Sanford def. Ellie Baker/Keylee Wilson (CI) 21-10, 21-14

Tomorrow morning, the fate of the Warriors' semifinal matchup will be determined following the results of their final pool play bout, as No. 6-ranked University of Saint Katherine (13-7) looks to pull off the upset and flip the seeding prior to the beginning of bracket play at 4pm tomorrow afternoon.

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